Promise Me
by The King of Swag
Summary: An innocent soul, born human, has been given another chance after losing his life in a fatal accident. And as one life transfers to another possibility, one soul soon finds itself intertwined with another younger one... Mega Charizard/Iris (Not a ship, mild language!) Rated T! (COMPLETE!/End Chapter Battle/Review Info!)
1. Prologue

**HELLOOOOOOO EVERYBODY! XD**

 **Just as I promised, I have spent a good portion of my summer working on this! And surprise, this was the story I worked on the most! I'm still working on others, but for now, this one is all ready to go! I just hope you guys enjoy it. It's a fanfiction involving one of my favorite Pokémon and my least favorite female character. But in this story, I'm making Iris more tolerable than her 'Such a kid' self in the series.**

 **Now it might be a little boring because there's not a lot of battling (Which is what Pokémon is about), but I tried focusing more on a plot. It may seem like a serious and depressing story at some parts, but hopefully it's positive to you guys. Like I said, I tried! And maybe at the end, I'll add something special if this story gets a lot of popularity!**

 **(No, this story will not have a lemon! It's rated T for a reason! But I'll consider doing an alternate universe lemon in another story...)**

 **But for now, I just hope you guys enjoy what I've made. I put some thought into it! Really, I did!**

 **This is Rated T for strong language, not much, but still.**

 **Also, a little tip:**

"So, this is it then?" - Human Speech

 _'Wow, I expected something... more.' - Human Thought_

 **"Ready for the worst mistake of your life?" - Pokémon (English Speech) Speech**

 _ **'I'm itching for a fight you little shit!' - Pokémon Thought**_

 **(PS - This will be somewhat related to my If I Was In Pokémon fanfiction. I'll leave it to you guys to figure it out! OH AND UPDATES WILL BE EVERY THIRD WEDNESDAY! Gotta keep you guys waiting for more...)**

 **Once more, I hope my loveable Pokémon fans enjoy this story!**

 **Now READ!**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Pokémon! But I will own my OC!**

* * *

 **Prologue**

* * *

An action must always have a consequence.

That was the rule of fate, a symbolic law which could have many versions that could be seen as different.

A good deed would most likely come with something equivalent to a reward.

A bad deed would most likely come with a negative result.

Sometimes, the roles could be switched to those of opposite meanings. Something thought to be good could end in tragedy or something thought to be bad could end with unexpected happiness.

But no matter the belief in one's actions and future, there would always and only be one solid truth; everything has a cause and effect.

It was one of the basic rules of the universe, a rule that everything has to follow. A rule that can enable change, be it willing or by force. It was a simple segment that would always be destined to revolve around one's actions that would have specific effects for the future. Karma or Luck, a metaphorical belief that decides what happens when a person performs a deed deemed to be good or bad.

However, for one of the few cases of cause and effect, a certain human's actions will have consequences that some would call a gift.

Others would call it a curse.

It all depends on how life is viewed...

* * *

 _"Ugh… where… where am I…?"_

 _His eyelids twitched for a moment before they finally opened themselves._

 _Only to see nothing._

 _Absolutely nothing._

 _It was pitch black, a void of darkness that seemed to stretch on forever._

 _He wasn't sure what to think of it. He wasn't even sure where he was or if he was even upright or upside-down. He couldn't feel anything beneath his shoes that indicated any form of land or platform. So he could only assume he was floating._

 _Then the panic finally set in, his head whipping to the sides as his eyes tried to find any hint of anything. A person, an object that could tell him where he was-_

 _A sharp breath shot through his teeth as he felt pain wash over him._

 _He blinked a couple of times, trying to ignore the throbbing pain all over his body. His legs felt sore, his arms stung from multiple places, and his chest felt like it was burning. But the most prominent pain was the relentless pounding within his skull. A hand, his right hand, brought itself to his face to soothe his aching jaw while his left began its attempt to rub the pain away from his temple._

 _He winced when he touched a certain part of his cheek._

 _Cracking open one of his eyes, it finally dawned on him that could see his own body. A surprised and startled face was made when he was able to see his right hand within perfect view, easily detecting the colors of his light brown skin against the pitch black around him. However, he grew weary of the thin lines of red cuts that traveled along his hand. As well as the blood on the tip of his fingers._

 _'_ I'm… bleeding? _' He brushed his cheek again. This time he felt something warm and wet against his hand._

 _Why was he injured? Did someone attack him?_

 _He brushed up his sleeve and was horrified upon seeing the bruises and cuts that lined up his arm- no, both arms. _

_He gave himself a quick lookover._

 _He was wearing his shoes, a pair of white Nikes. They were covered in spots of dirt._

 _He still had his light blue jeans. Both legs revealing tears in the fabric._

 _A dark blue hoodie, layered over a white t-shirt. There were clumps of dirt and rips as well. He could even seen a startling amount of crimson staining his shirt through the tears of his sweatshirt._

 _He had everything on his person, with the exception of his clothes being tattered from some type of incident. But then a thought came to him, an idea that sparked a sense of hope within him._

 _'_ Where is it!? _' He thought._

 _Temporarily ignoring his migraine, the human's left hand flew to his pockets in search of his phone. After looking through numerous pockets, his heart dropped and his hopeful expressed morphed into one of horror._

 _His phone, the only thing that could've helped him escape, was nowhere to be found on his person._

 _"You gotta be fucking kidding me…" He breathed, feeling the darkness weigh down on his fears._

 _The human's arms dropped to his sides. A sudden numbness weighing them down. His glasses unintentionally slipped from his fingers, dropping down and disappearing into nonexistence._

 _There was nothing else he could do. He was trapped in a realm filled with emptiness, with no sort of means to find out where he was or how he even got there. He was alone._

 _His breathing picked up and his heart began to pound in his chest._

 _He couldn't even remember the recent events that could've led to this moment._

 _…!_

 _A terrifying revelation dawned on him. He couldn't even remember anything about who he_ was _! A past forgotten, a haunting reminder of another thing he was stripped of._

 _"No way out... I c-can't… what the hell is going on…!?" He muttered. His growing stress had caused his migraine to reappear with a whole new level of pain. His hands shot to the sides of his head, his eyes clenched shut as tightly as he could. Tears began to crawl down his cheeks._

 _He had nothing… absolutely nothing..._

 _ **…** _

**_..._**

 _ **…** _

_" **Human,** " A smooth and strangely calm voice caught his attention. " **There's no reason to be alarmed. Please. Relax…** " The human hesitated to open his eyes, believing his mind was playing tricks on him. _

_Reluctantly, his eyes had opened themselves._

 _He gasped._

 _Gone was the empty black void, now t_ _here were colors illuminating all around him._

 _They were more like strings; glowing strands of color that ranged from shades of golden yellow to neon green. And each of them were moving slowly, as if they were sentient and knowing to his presence._

 _As he gazed upon his new surroundings, he took notice of a single string that floated towards his face. The golden string had wriggled itself to his forehead and a thin light pulsed through it._

 _Almost like a heartbeat..._

 _All the pain throughout his body was suddenly replaced with blissful relief. He looked down at himself and found the cuts and bruises to be gone as well._

 _"What in the world…" He whispered, running his fingers along his now smooth skin._

 _" **I take it the pain has vanished?** " The voice said again, making the human jump from his fascination over his unnatural regeneration. The human turned his head and found himself staring at something… words couldn't even describe what he was seeing at the moment. _

_" **I'll take that as a yes.** "_

 _Before him - floating just as he was - was an entity he couldn't possibly fathom. And somehow he knew that even if he had his memories, this was definitely not something he'd have encountered in the past._

 _If he had paid any attention to himself, he would have noticed that he could see perfectly fine with the aid of his glasses._

 _It was something that resembled a type of equine, a qilin. It had four legs and each of its 'hooves' had some sort of gold plating on them. While most of its body was covered in white fur, there was a grey underside to its mane, chest, and tail. On the center of its forehead, was a golden piece and wrapped around its waist was a golden cross-like wheel…_

 _Although the qilin was at an intimidating size that would instill fear into whoever gazed upon it, there was a peculiar 'glow' surrounding it. Almost resembling an aura of some sort. And the human could feel its warmth as the light bathed over him, filling him with a sense of serene calm and tranquility. A sense that felt foreign to him._

 _As the man looked up, he took a moment find the courage to speak. "W-Who are you?" The human's voice croaked. There was still a hint of fear as he stood before the unknown entity. "And where am I?" The human had tried to keep his anxiety to a bare minimal. But being unable to recognize where we was, who he was, and why he was floating in a weird space was making it more difficult than he had hoped._

 _The voice came back. " **I go by many names, human. However, you may call me Arceus.** " There was no mouth. Only green eyes with red pupils that stared intently at him. But the voice was loud and clear. _

_And feminine._

 _" **As to where we are,** " The being - now identified as Arceus - knelt down as if she was sitting, lowering her head to get a closer look at the man before her. And said man gulped as she neared. " **This my home. A realm of infinite transcendence.** " The godly being paused for a moment before she continued, in a seemingly grim tone of voice. " **And you are here for a reason.** "_

 _It took a moment for that to sink in before the man spoke again. "What do you mean 'for a reason'?" The human repeated with an underlying sense of dread._

 _" **What we are currently in is a realm far beyond space and time. Another universe if you wish to call it**." Arceus began to specify, taking note of his puzzled expression and a hint of growing terror within the human's eyes. To be in an unknown place - an entirely new_ universe _\- was something a bit too heavy to easily register. She gave him a moment's silence for him to take that in as well. " **And within this realm, I have patiently awaited the time of your arrival.** " _

_"..." His expectant stare was all she needed for a clue to continue._

 _" **I watch everything, human.** " Arceus' voice turned soft. " **Renown by humans as a Goddess or a being of the highest power, I am capable of seeing what happens on Earth. And I have seen the events that led to our meeting. Events that I am a bit reluctant to tell you.** "_

 _"If you know who I am, please… tell me." He could almost see the sorrow in her eyes and that made him a bit afraid to ask. "I need to know-"_

 _" **I cannot.** " Arceus denied with a shake of her head. " **The second you awoke in this world, your life back on earth had very well ended. To tell you now would only bring tragedy.** " The horrified face she received caused her to dip her head in apology. " **I'm afraid to confirm your fears, but yes... You are dead.** "_

 _"H-How? What happened?" The human felt his stomach drop._

 _" **... perhaps it is best for you to witness that for yourself.** " The ring wrapped around Arceus' body began to shine bright before another golden string extended toward the human. Like before when the pain was taken away, he felt an unknown energy wash over him. _

_And just like that, he remembered._

 _He dropped to his knees as the memories came back to him all at once. Tears once again built up in his eyes as the events were replayed within his mind, not in person, but through a 3rd person viewpoint. But because of the endless showcase of memories, he was finally able to take in what his face looked like._

 _He had short curly black hair. Through his glasses, his eyes were a dark brown and he had a thin black mustache that connected past his mouth to the beard below. From what he could make out, he was a young man that looked to be in his twenties or maybe even thirties…_

 _An image he got to see too many times._

 _It was brief, so brief that he didn't even understand what happened the first few times he watched._

 _He had been running through town in the middle of a rainstorm. Without proper protection against the rain, his clothes had stuck to him like a wet blanket. But he didn't let it stop him from running. Not when he was running alongside a kid with glasses just like him, who luckily had a raincoat covering him._

 _He was holding the boy's hand in a tight grip as they ran._

 _Wherever they were running to, he hadn't a clue. He saw their mouths moving as they ran, but he couldn't hear anything from them. The memories were showing him what happened, but weren't given him any clues as to who he or the younger child was._

 _But he did notice a figure in the middle of the street._

 _Both him and his past-self did._

 _Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an orange colored lizard-like creature stumbling in the middle of the street. It's tail had a flame at the tip, a flame that flickered weakly against the heavy winds._

 _It was a Charmander; one covered in bruises and holding a cardboard sheet above its head in an attempt to block the rain._

 _It was limping, from possible internal injuries that couldn't be seen through its scales. Or due to malnourishment if its skinniness was any indication. But the human had already figured that the Charmander was in trouble, as if the younger kid's rapidly moving mouth and pointing finger wasn't enough of a clue._

 _There had been a car driving by. And because of the heavy rain, it was harder to see through the windshield._

 _While the human could hear the pelting of the rain and rapid winds, the screeching of the tires of the car was above everything else. The man didn't even hesitate to let go of the kid's hand before he raced towards the Charmander._

 _It all happened so fast…_

 _One second, the Charmander had stopped to look at the car's headlights, completely frozen with fear._

 _The next second, the man's arms had reached the Pokémon and scooped it up in a rush of adrenaline._

 _The final second has reached its mark._

 _The Charmander had been pushed to the side and a shrill yelp sounded from it. It was enough to label it as a possible female, he couldn't tell with how quickly the scene played out._

 _And at this point, there was a lot the human still didn't understand._

 _There was a horn blaring and then a loud thud when the human's body came in contact with the front of the car. While the car had finally managed to stop to a skidding halt, the damage was already done. A crowd was beginning to form as they surrounded the body laying a couple meters away from where he was hit._

 _The only two people that were the quickest to reach the body was the young child and the driver; an elderly man._

 _They both had equally fearful expressions on their faces as they rushed through the crowd._

 _There was crying, blurred screaming, and sirens._

 _As the memory started to fade to an end, the human saw the Charmander watching from the sidelines before she ran off into an alleyway._

 _"..." Nothing was said when the final replay played itself out._

 _The lack of words was unbearable. Something that mildly disturbed Arceus as she listened to the strained cries of the man in front of her. The glowing string disconnected from his forehead and she watched as the man's face fell into his hands, shaking left and right._

 _" **I'm terribly sorry. Truly, I am.** " Arceus tried before falling silent._

 _The two had stayed like that for quite some time. The human remained on his knees, bawling his eyes out while Arceus herself could do nothing, but watch._

 _But she was an extremely patient entity and gave the man enough time to grieve._

 _When the tears finally ran out, the man's hands dropped to the floor and his head remained low. "So what happens now?" The man's voice was hoarse and scratchy. He didn't know what to think anymore._

 _His past, however short it may have been, had just been revealed right before his eyes and now he had nothing left. No life to go back to, no family…_

 _He looked utterly shattered before the Goddess Pokémon._

 _" **I haven't brought you here without purpose, human.** " Arceus declared, finally finding it an appropriate time to continue her explanation. " **I have watched you closely in your last moments and took heed of your fearless attempt to save one of my children. Never before have I seen a human willingly trade his life for another. Without the slightest bit of hesitation…** "_

 _"I never wanted to trade my life away." The man mumbled, but loud enough for her to hear. "I guess I thought I was fast enough to get her out of the way without getting hit."_

 _" **I see.** " A few more strings appeared before the human and twisted around each other, mimicking a hand as they lifted the man's chin. The man's eyes were bloodshot and void of emotion, but he did not take his eyes away from Arceus'. And said Goddess Pokémon lowered her head even more to reach perfect level with each other. " **Nevertheless, as I see it, this was an act performed by one who cherishes other lives before his own. A true kindness that's rare to see.** "_

 _"What's that supposed to mean?" His tone was flat and cold. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"_

 _" **It means your actions has given you the opportunity at a second chance, human.** " Arceus declared proudly and the human was sure that if she had a mouth, she'd be smiling. _

_The words had been registered in his brain, but recent events had caused him to have less of a reaction than Arceus had hoped. While his eyes did perk open more at her declaration, it was only that. A shift in his eyelids. There was no verbal expression of how he felt or change in face. But she did have his attention._

 _"A second chance? At life?"_

 _" **Correct. An offer countless beings would crave for. However you will be the first one to actually be given the choice.** " As Arceus spoke without missing a beat, she could see a spark of hope igniting within the man's eyes. It was a sign of redemption. " **Now I must ask you, human. Will you take this chance?** " _

_The man stared into Arceus' eyes for a brief moment before he straightened himself. "... there has to be more to it than that. What's going to happen if I'm reborn?"_

 _" **Sharp. I almost didn't expect you to think of that.** " Arceus teased, earning a partial smile in return. " **And yes, you are correct to assume that there's more than what I've spoken** **of.** " He wasn't sure if he should be proud of himself to seeing more than was offered or scared. " **While you will be reborn, you will not be reborn as a human being. No, this time you shall live as another being.** "_

 _"... I'll become a Pokémon?"_

 _" **Correct.** " _

_"Of course." The human mumbled before he sighed. Arceus blinked in mild surprise at the dejected way he spoke. "I guess it's not so bad. After all, a second chance is better than nothing." With a grunt, the human pushed himself back to his feet and gave Arceus a stronger smile than before. "Alright, I'm all for it." With that, he held out his hand to seal the deal._

 _" **Excellent.** " Arceus nodded as she stood up at full height as well. " **Just a bit of advice. You will become quite… unique once your soul transfers to your new body. You will still retain the ability of human speech as well as mind. However I highly advise you not to recklessly exploit yourself to humans. Not everyone will be as nice as you are. Many will take the chance to enslave you for their own gain.** "_

 _"I understand. Anything else?" The man wanted to make sure he wasn't missing any vital information. He wasn't going to waste something as great as second life with a stupid mistake. If he was going to live again, he was going to live it to the fullest. A fresh new start._

 _" **Other than please be careful.** " And with that, light exploded from the Goddess. _

_The human closed his eyes and awaited his new fate, allowing the light to engulf him._

* * *

 **How was the first chapter guys? Great? Not great? C'mon, give me some feedback! I worked on this for several weeks, making sure I completed a full plotline so I don't have to worry about rescheduling with my other stories!**

 **Also, I'll be doing something new! For whatever review that is a question, I'll post it up in the next chapter and reveal the answer for everyone! Except certain questions though. I'll only do up to 5 reviews a chapter!**

 **Have a great day or night my beautiful readers! :3**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. Grip on Reality

**Hello, wassup everybody! The King of Swag is back with another chapter of your new beloved story! And just like I promised, I will be posting reviews with questions relative to the story!**

ultima-owner: Will he meet the Charmander he saved?

 **Sorry, but as you can see, the Charmander he saved has been left behind in his 'past life'. Meaning he wouldn't be able to remember where he saw her even if he wanted to.**

 **Also, a little tip:**

"So, this is it then?" - Human Speech

 _'Wow, I expected something... more.' - Human Thought_

 **"Ready for the worst mistake of your life?" - Pokémon (English Speech) Speech**

 _ **'I'm itching for a fight you little shit!' - Pokémon Thought**_

 **Now READ!**

 **Disclaimer : I DO NOT own Pokémon! But I will own my OC!**

 **(PS - As you'll soon read, my OC has been turned into a Mega Charizard, as you probably already know. But he'll be a little different. Try to picture Mega Charizard X's body and colors mixed with Charizard Y's wings and tail!)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Grip on Reality**

* * *

He awoke with a startled choke of air, accidentally exhaling a small burst of blue fire into the air.

Eyes snapping open and rapidly blinking as he took in his surroundings, his claws extended and dug into the dirt beneath him.

He had immediately pushed himself to all fours, his spiked tail swishing slowly behind him while his teeth bared themselves to… nothing.

He continued to stare straight ahead, not any anything specific, but for anything that dared to move in his line of sight. The blue flames flickered from his muzzle as he breathed slowly, but once his mind caught up to his automatic self-defense, the energy that got him riled up had dispersed into another sigh of fire.

" **Calm down,** " He muttered to himself, his voice as deep as a guttural growl of some sorts. " **It was just a dream. The same, stupid dream…** "

With a grunt of little effort, he pushed himself up to two feet and started to brush the clumps of dirt from his chest and stomach. Without any sign of danger, he had allowed his tail to relax against the ground and with the bright blue flame, helped himself to see all the spots he had to scratch off himself.

After scratching off the last remnants of dirt, he let out a strong yawn to relieve the last bits of sleep from his system. As he did so, he allowed his battered and ripped looking wings to stretch to their full length, just as he arched the stiff bones in his spine.

Clearing all the stiffness from his body, he blinked his unique vision to the entrance of his cave.

From the way the colors seemed dim, he could only consider it to be nighttime. Especially due to the lack of noise from the local Pokémon.

From his guess and internal clock, he could assume that it was near midnight if he wanted to be specific. A time he awoke at numerous times; times involving his dreams waking him up or times involving certain Pokémon trainers. Sometimes both.

" **I'm up now.** " He sighed, beginning his trek towards the exit. " **Might as well grab a bite or somethin'.** "

As he stepped outside, he paused to allow the moonlight to bathe over his scales. With a content breath of air, he allowed a smile to form over his muzzle.

If one were to gaze upon his form, they'd immediately take notice of all the scars lining around his body. They weren't scars of self-harm, but scars of the countless battles he's participated in. He had them nearly everywhere, ranging from his tail to his back, his stomach to his neck.

And finally to the last, most noticeable jagged scar over his right eye.

It was a strange habit, one that he eventually learned to grow used to. It's been years since he became a Pokémon, 4 years since his encounter with Arceus, his savior. And within those years, he found it strangely relaxing to roam throughout the night. Especially under a full moon. It was something he's never found charming as a human, but after transforming, he's learned to appreciate the moon as if it were a longtime friend.

It gave him a sense of freedom.

Once he was done with his nightly routine, he allowed his wings to extend and begin to flap at his sides. Feeling himself become weightless, he soon began to fly down the mountain and entered the forest below his home.

' ** _So much time has passed since then…_** ' He found himself thinking about the deal again - another trait he's grown used to. He couldn't blame himself either. Arceus had given him a proposal that she'd never given to anyone else. Something he'd be forever grateful for. He - in fact - chose to make it a big deal to remember the Goddess' kindness.

But it still had come with a price.

With a chance at life, also came the knowledge that he didn't know who he used to be. Time after time, he tried to reassure himself that it was for the best. That maybe he had done things he wasn't proud of and would be happy to forget it all.

' ** _But the kid in glasses… the way he was crying over my body…_** '

That was the sole image that brought him back to wondering. Whenever he was close to forgetting his first life, it was always the kid popping into his head that stopped him. It meant he, _they_ were close. But who was he as a person? What connection did the kid have to him? Was he a relative to him?

He would always find himself frustrated racking his brain for answers.

It was pointless to try to remember without any actual memories to lead on besides that fateful day.

But that didn't stop him from trying.

His attention was brought back to reality when he caught sight of a lake, the moonlight bouncing off the water's surface as endless sparkles. Using his wings to descend slowly back to the ground, he felt the grass crunch under his feet before he started to walk towards the water.

' ** _I must've been someone important to the kid…_** ' He thought.

Shaking his head, he banished the thought to the back of his mind and looked down. Meeting his gaze were the red eyes of his own reflection, the familiar face of the Mega Charizard he grew to be…

* * *

 _ **Flashback: 4 Years Ago (1st Person P.O.V.)...**_

 _Looks like Arceus kept her promise._

 _And it was… interesting to say the least._

 _I had just woken up in a clearing, some sort of forest area if I had to guess. In the middle of the night at that._

 _When I had open my eyes, at first I wanted to believe it was just a dream, that I'd be sitting up in my bed and eating breakfast with people I was familiar with. But as soon as I checked over my new body, I learned that it was very much real._

 _When Arceus said I'd be reborn into a new body and not into a human one, I was right on the ball when I said Pokémon. But what I didn't expect was to be turned into the same Pokémon I had rescued._

 _Well... mostly same._

 _I had claws, that's for sure. It the first characteristic I noticed when I woke up. I nearly scratched my eye out because of them. Then I noticed I had a tail with fire at the tip. After that, I had already concluded I was a Charmander before I even took my new height into account. But once I looked closely at myself, I noticed that I had a few things different then what I expected._

 _When Arceus said I'd be unique, I didn't expect to have shiny black scales with dark red scales lining my stomach. Now that I thought about it, while a normal Charmander's tail was a mixture of yellow, orange, and red depending on the mood, my tail flame was a pure crimson as well._

 _After I did some walking around with my new body._

 _Which went horribly wrong when I kept tumbling over. Meaning I now had to re-learn how to walk all over again. Great._

 _And during my time of struggling to keep my balance, I eventually got a surprise call from my savior herself._

 _" **Human, can you hear me?** " I heard Arceus' voice from the back of my head. I held back a snort._

 _Can't be called a human anymore, can I?_

 _Once I learned she wasn't anywhere near me, I stopped looking around and spoke with my strange new tongue. " **Loud and clear**." It was weirder than I expected, having a large tongue and sharper teeth to avoid biting myself with. As well as a scratchy new voice to work with. _

_I'll have to work on that later._

 _" **There's no need to speak aloud**." Arceus sounded like she giggled. " **Just speak with your thoughts and I will hear you.** " _

' **... Is this good?** _'_

 _" **Quite.** " Arceus confirmed. " **Now, I see that you've grown accustomed to your new form, am I correct?** "_

 _'_ **Yeah. But walking is still a little tricky. I keep losing balance. Don't worry, I'll get it down soon**. _'_

 _" **Of course. I wouldn't expect you to have no trouble after awakening…** "_

 _'_ **By the way Arceus. Where are you exactly?** _'_

 _" **I'm currently in a location somewhere on Earth. I've taken the chance to leave my realm in case you are in need of assistance. That and communication would be extremely draining between dimensions.** "_

 _'_ **Oh. Wow. Um, ok I guess _._** _'_

 _" **Indeed, my child.** " I felt a little warmth in my heart when she called me that, but I tied it to the fact that I was, after all, reborn as a Pokémon through her power. " **Now I do not have much time to hold this communication. I will soon be in a meeting with others to speak of your existence and to provide guidance in case I should not. I just checked to make sure the soul transfer was successful, but if you have any questions, ask now.** "_

 _'_ **I can see what you meant by being born differently. But what exactly happened to my body? I'm different colors than a normal Charmander's supposed to be.** _' Best to get that question out of the way before I forget. Which was kind of hard not to._

 _" **As you'll soon learn about in the future, there is a thing humans now call Mega Evolution. It is, as you can tell, another form of evolution within Pokémon. I have enabled your hidden energy to be released and in turn, changed your body to adjust.** "_

 _'_ **Will this affect me in the future? Any strange changes personality-wise?.** _'_

 _" **Not much. As for now, you're a Mega Evolved Charmander. One of your kind. That doesn't make you too different in species, but only in appearance and strength. You'll still be able to evolve like a normal Pokémon, but that won't happen until a year later. Not until your body has fully adjusted to the energy I unlocked for you.** "_

 _'_ **I understand. I'll probably hear about this Mega Evolution stuff later, but for now I should just worry about being able to protect myself. Any tips on how to fight? _'_**

 _" **When you attempt to use any attacks, just think of any attacks a Charmander is capable of using. However, while you may have new knowledge on battles, it's up to you to train your body to handle it. It would be unfortunate if you collapsed or went up against the wrong enemy.** "_

 _'_ **Got it.** _' I unconsciously gave a thumb's up. '_ **Will I be able to talk to you again soon?** _'_

 _" **I believe so. In case you're in need of dire help, I'll be watching over you so write a message anywhere I can see so that I may return to this dimension and aid you. If I'm within the area in future events, I shall visit you in person to check up on you.** "_

 _'_ **Ok, one more question...** _' I paused. It felt a little awkward asking her this, but it was vital for my survival. '_ **What should I do about food?** _'_

 _" **...** " At first I thought Arceus had either lost connection or wasn't even sure how to respond. But then I heard a sigh on the other line. " **I trust that you do not abuse this power, but I have enabled your biological system to digest different types of food.** " Arceus sounded a bit disgusted to be talking about this, but she carried on. " **You're allowed to eat meat, plants, and other human foods as well. But I strongly suggest eating plants to maintain a healthy diet. Stealing food from humans could be risky and I'm quite against eating others. But it is your choice.** "_

 _'_ **I'll try not to eat another Pokémon, but if it comes to it, I will**. _'_

 _" **I understand. This is your new life after all**." Arceus sighed. Great, now I disappointed her. " **Now if that's all, I shall be leaving. My children are almost here."**_

 _'_ **I won't hold you up any longer then** _.' I nodded. Then I smiled. '_ **And Arceus?** ' _I heard a " **Hm?** " from my savior. '_ **Thanks for helping me. I really appreciate it** _.'_

 _" **You're welcome, my child.** " _

_As soon as I felt the strange buzzing disappear from my head, I figured she disconnected for the night._

 _..._

 _Wait, what did she mean by a meeting? With her children?_

 _The question lingered in my mind for a bit before I eventually left it at that. Whatever Arceus does is her own business. She's done so much for me, so there's no need to worry too much about it. After all, I'm sure to meet whoever she's talking about in the future anyway._

 _I just hope it's not someone too dangerous._

 _With nothing else to do, I just fell back on my ass and looked up to the stars above._

 _I was a Pokémon now. " **One of her children...** " I whispered. I felt my mouth curl up into a tiny smile._

 _Tonight was the start of a new journey and I'll cherish this memory as though my life depended on it. I chuckled to myself as I rolled my tail over my short legs, feeling the flame over my scales as if it was a warm blanket._

 _I took a moment to myself so I could remember everything she said in case I had an emergency. If I was going to live as a Charmander, I'd need a plan to survive. I can't go to humans for help and they can't know I can speak. No, not yet. Not until I'm strong enough to protect myself. " **I'll need to train.** " Which was weird coming from my own mouth. Never before have I ever expected myself to have a solid need to get stronger and fight._

 _And speaking of fighting, I'm sure I'll encounter someone at some point-_

 _…. fuck me. I totally forgot to ask for advice about getting caught in a Pokéball!_

 _Well, it's something I'll have to deal with in the future. And I'm not worried about that right now. Right now I'm focused on the present. As of now, I have no idea where I am and I'm not even sure if I'm near a town. I have no clue how to fight since I barely remember what attacks a Charmander can even_ do. _I'll have to find food at some point and I don't know what plants are poisonous…_

 _Start of a new journey? Sucks so far._

 _But as long as I stay determined, I should live._

 _For the most part._

 _Now, first things first. " **I need to learn how to fight.** " And I knew just what to start with. It was common knowledge that Charmanders were Fire-Types. So, why not try one of the basic fire attacks? _

_I hummed to myself for a second before I took a deep breath. I felt an intense heat in my stomach and lungs before I released it into a Flamethrower attack!_

 _All I saw was a tiny burst of fire that flew through the air and hit a tree branch, lighting it on fire._

 _" **Or Ember. That works too**."_

 _I'll_ definitely _have to work on that._

 ***Crack, crack!***

 _I blinked as the burning tree branch began to break apart from the trunk. Eventually I watched as it fell down into a bush. It took a second for me to realize the imminent danger of starting a forest fire and I bolted towards the branch._

 _I heard a low growling sound which made me stop in my tracks._

 _A shadow soon loomed over me and I felt the odds stacked against me. Glaring down at me was a_ Snorlax _of all things and there was a patch of burnt fur on its stomach. Likely from the branch._

 _I watched as it scratched at its burnt belly and take a couple of steps towards me, a strong scowl on its face. The Snorlax's intents were clear. Even an idiot could figure it out._

 _But I wasn't going to sit and see it for myself._

 _So, I did the only thing I could think of._

 _Lifting a naughty claw, I shouted " **Fuck you too!** " I spun on my feet and ran for dear life as the Snorlax began to charge a Hyper Beam._

* * *

 _ **Present Time (3rd Person P.O.V.)...**_

The Mega Charizard's head dipped low and he lowered the temperature of the flames from his teeth as his muzzle made contact with the lake water.

So much had happened since his first day.

From being a newly born Mega Charmander who had been chased by that Snorlax for miles, to who he was right now; a fully grown, incredibly wise Charizard with unique traits he made for himself.

It had been rough getting his new life on track. He had struggled to find a source food without risk of catching the attention of more predators. But that was until he reached near desperation and ate the first thing he saw. Which were apples. Which also happened to be in the territory of a herd of Rattatas. After that, he took it upon himself to learn how to fight. It was mandatory, the very reason why how most Pokémon are still alive in the wild.

He had started off small. Not physically, but mentally; in tactics.

When he used nearly all the time he could on the run from predators, he eventually stumbled upon a secret cave. It was labeled his new home with a few scorch and claw marks along the walls to prove it, a method to scare off intruders in case he went into hiding or if he wasn't there. And within the cave, he had used rocks to sharpen his claws.

After all, they were his main mode of attack and protection, against enemies and with food.

Then with his fire? After countless training sessions, there was plenty of soot to play off as a thin sheet of black snow. After numerous attempts at controlling his fire, he soon learned to control the amount he released and after that, the temperature he wanted to use.

It took a while before he deemed himself battle ready. Which was after a month.

And during that time, he learned of a new ability he gained.

He can understand Poké-Speech. With his new hearing, he heard whatever another Pokémon was saying and it sounded like fluent English to him. Another thing that helped him survive. At some points he needed to negotiate with predators, settle arguments, or just plain trick someone.

He wanted to make sure he knew the basics of fighting and began to challenge wild Pokémon, starting with Pidgey and Rattatas. Took a few beatings and healings, which he noticed he healed quite fast, but it was enough to get him ready for the big time predators.

Soon after, his days as a Charmander were over. It was like Arceus promised. A year later - on the exact day he woke up as a Charmander - he had evolved into a Charmeleon. With a few new traits as well.

Instead of crimson, the scales on his stomach and his tail-flame was an eerie color of dark purple. His tail had started to grow spikes near the base of his back, as well as a set of tinier spikes on his shoulders. And for the final new change to his body, he found out that his single horn would glow a burning purple each time his anger or adrenaline increased.

Eventually news of his existence began to spread around through Pokémon and Human alike. It started off as a rumor around the fifth month he was alive, a myth of a "Black Charmander" that lived in a cave. And such rumors eventually grew into a mass media. While wild Pokémon soon grew to accept his presence as another regular thing, he would always find the occasional trainer or scientist traveling near his home in hopes to catch and study him.

It was constant battling that got him to the point of strength that beginner - and even some professionals - trainers couldn't even catch him without needing serious health kits for their Pokémon.

And after he evolved, his popularity only got stronger. He became one of the strongest fighters in the forest, a true champion against those who tried to kill him or those who acted as the occasional forest bully. And Pokémon soon learned that he didn't have a name since he never bothered to think of one. He would've just went with the name of his new species.

But with his endless victories against wild Pokémon and trainers alike, eventually the inhabitants of the forest gave him a name.

King.

It was short. It was simple. And easy to remember. He liked it.

But he didn't let it go to his head.

* * *

With a couple of gulps from the lake, King had soon quenched his thirst. He was content and that's all that mattered. At some point in his days, he learned to enjoy the moments of tranquility that life granted him. He didn't need to spend each of his days fighting.

By relaxing, sleeping the days away.

And that's what happened on the day of his third year. He had been exhausted after a grueling match against a trainer who had a Blastoise and somehow managed to win. He had actually slept a total of 2 days to heal his injuries.

And when King woke up, he had found himself as a fully grown Charizard. With ripped-looking wings and bright blue flames at his disposal, King soon became the unbeatable Pokémon known throughout towns as 'The Ultimate'. He became such an icon that someone spread the rumor that whoever managed to beat and catch him would become strong enough to beat the Kanto Region Champion.

With just him in their team.

It brought terrible attention to him for a long time.

Instead of normal rookie trainers and scientists, the battles grew tougher when Gym Leaders themselves found him. With stronger opponents and more Pokémon to fight against, King found it extremely difficult to beat each of them without a break in between rounds.

It got to the point where he had to reveal his secret ability to talk.

With each battle, he'd make sure to corner specific trainers whenever he won. He'd always make sure they got the message to help keep his secret a secret, but he'd also make sure they understood to stop coming after him.

It took some threatening with certain trainers, but they all agreed to stop battling him when they learned of his struggle for a peaceful life.

Some actually promised to protect him.

And one of them had given him a helpful warning to stay away from people with big red R's on their clothes.

But even then, the battling still became too much where he even had to face against one of Kanto's champions, a man named Lance. The battle was so intense and explosive, that literally destroyed King's home in the middle of it. And to this day, King still believed it was luck that got him to come out as the victor.

Hell, he had even grown to respect the man for giving him one of the hardest battles he ever had.

But it was also Lance's fault for two things.

Most of the scars all over his body.

And making him relocate to a new home.

Of course, his disappearance had a negative reaction from everyone. The forest Pokémon had shown clear signs that they were going to miss him, even some of the stronger wild enemies that he had faced. But while they gave him a peaceful goodbye, somehow word of his departure had spread to the 'R group' King heard about.

It had been tough getting out of Kanto when groups of them were near his every location, constantly attacking him without even giving him a chance to relax.

He later heard something about a talking Meowth that spread his name in the organization.

And King actually vowed to get vengeance when he met the specific cat.

Along his travels, King had to admit that it was a pleasant experience to see the sights. He had met new friends in Pokémon and had to restart his struggles against rookies to pro trainers with each home. Each of them ending with each region's champion that wanted to test their mettle.

All because Lance blabbed about losing against him and such news spread worldwide.

* * *

Now, on his 5th year, King now found himself living in the Unova region. So far, he had been to many regions; Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, even Kalos and Alola. Each of them were unique in terms of environments and Pokémon that he'd never seen before, but only Unova seemed to stick with him.

His life on the move was now on pause, one that he hoped would not be a temporary case and would last for a long period of time.

But now, living in a cave at the top of a mountain, he could honestly say his life was back to the 'easier days' when it was just him against weaker opponents. But because of his location, not many trainers knew how to get to his cave without finding it quite difficult trying to get to it.

Not unless they've lived in the area for a long time.

Like the small village that resided a few miles away. A place called the Village of Dragons, a peaceful community dedicated to the lives, protection, and growth of Dragon-Types. Or practically anything to do with anything that remotely resembled a dragon, like King.

One time, in the middle of the night, he had met the village elder. An older lady named Sophia.

A nice lady, King had to admit.

He regretted nearly burning her alive the night she showed up at his cave. He hadn't expected her to appear out of nowhere and was actually startled out of his sleep when she called out to him. And honestly, Sophia hadn't even traveled with the urge to fight.

In fact, she traveled with means to negotiate on behalf of her village.

Which made attacking her even worse.

In news of King's existence in Kanto and other regions like Johto and Sinnoh, there had been enough time for word to reach Unova.

At this point, King was honestly a little agitated whenever people made a big deal out of his whereabouts. And while some people – as well as Pokémon themselves – continued to spread rumors, most of them exaggerated his powers while some other rumors were made to scare children as a type of fabled folklore; another means to get children to listen to their parents at night.

And as he expected, it was enough to spook the Village of Dragon's residents into thinking he appeared with the sole desire to burn it to the ground.

It was by luck that King and Sophia met each other, something he'd be grateful about for a long time. After he deemed Sophia trustworthy enough with his secret ability to speak, they were both quick to discuss conditions between their distinct territories.

On King's side, he had to promise not to suddenly appear in the village without a proper warning and even help civilians in case they're found lost in the forest. And on Sophia's side, she had promised to keep her villagers from attempting to battle him as well as helping to keep any more challengers from his home.

It was a little unnerving for both King and the villagers, all due to trust issues between both unknown parties. But there had been no conflict that couldn't be solved without Sophia's aid.

 ** _*Rustle, rustle!*_**

King pulled his head out of the lake and gulped down the last mouthfuls of water. When he opened his eyes, he looked around for any sign of movement. The sounds were too close for his comfort and all his years of battling made him a bit jumpy.

Even with all the peace he lived in.

In one of the bushes, King saw a wild Drilbur scramble back into hiding once he saw King's eyes lock on him.

The Mega Charizard sighed in disappointment.

They were still afraid of him.

The wildlife of the forest, relationships were on thin ice with him after a mishap not too long after he took resident in the mountain.

A Druddigon, one of the angriest and oldest forest 'bullies' had challenged King to a fight 3 days after the forest learned of his presence. Of course, with years of battle experience, King demolished the Druddigon with ease.

Too bad the Druddigon was a sore loser.

Almost 2 weeks later, the Druddigon had gathered a group of the forest's top fighters and ambushed him while he was sleeping. Since King wasn't mentally prepared for the rude wake-up call. And once the Druddigon shot Dragon Rage in his face…

To say King was pissed was an understatement. He was downright _furious._

In hindsight, the Mega Charizard was actually in the middle of a nightmare about his past life's death. And once he woke up, he was unable to control his rage once he felt the pain from the attack.

All of his enemies - Druddigon, Excadrill, Beartic, Hydreigon, and a Sawk - each of them had realized their mistake too late and rushed out of his cave once King retaliated in pure rage. Being able to fly, it didn't take long for King to track them down when they attempted to run and hide.

Now that he thought back to it, the battle was so violent that it actually left each of his enemies in critical condition.

That and he started his first forest fire.

After the frantic work of the nearby water types, King's mistake had been put down before the damage got too bad. But it already left its mark in the hearts of the forest Pokémon.

It has been a month since the incident and none of the wildlife made an attempt to make contact with him.

Instead of 'King of the Forest' in Kanto, it was now Unova's 'Pyro the Destroyer.'

And while he also secretly enjoyed the name Pyro - he thought it sounded cool - it didn't help his case in the slightest.

But he couldn't blame them. A new face that they've never seen shows up and nearly burns the entire forest to the ground. Not only that, but his scars make it harder to not look intimidating to anyone that sees him.

" **Dammit Lance. Why'd you have to be so fucking good?** " King muttered under his breath. He really didn't want to move from Kanto, but the damn champion just _had_ to be that strong.

Choosing to leave the topic alone, King decided to give them more time. He wasn't going to beg for more friend. If they wanted to talk to him, they'll soon learn that he's not as dangerous as he's made out to be.

Looking around for any more eyes that watched him from the shadows, King soon gave up and started to take off into the air.

And that's when he noticed the clouds thickening in the skies above him, nearly blocking out the moon. ' ** _A storm?_** ' King thought in wonder. He got his answer when he felt tiny drops of water collide with his scales. ' ** _Better get back before it pours. I hate getting wet._** ' Although he grew quite resistant to all kinds of water from tons of encounters with Water-Types, it still annoyed him to no end when he felt any liquid make contact with his normally dry and warm scales.

And so, he began his flight back to his cave.

Then he heard a shrill scream rip through the night.

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! I just wanted to get the backstory out of the way so we could get into the story! And yes, if you guys are still on the fact that I named my OC Charizard King, deal with it. I named him after me because I wanted to. XD By the way, I still want to remind my lovely readers that King is indeed slightly overpowered to the point where he's near Legendary Pokémon level in strength. But he can still get exhausted from endless battles from strong ass trainers!**

 **Also, if people are still on the fact that I mixed Mega Charizard X and Y's body traits with each other, why not call it Mega Charizard Z? Hell, why not create some fan-art about him? (THAT'S A HINT PEOPLE! XD) If you do, just PM me the link and I'll post it up for everyone to see!**

 **Another note; the way I typed out this story will have uneven sized chapters. So this chapter of over 5000 words could go to 1 to 2000 words. Depends on how I cut things up!**

 **That'll be up my readers! Enjoy life!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. With My Little Eye

**Heya guys! Sorry I didn't update on the scheduled timeline, but like always, my internet wants to keep switching on and off at the worst possible times. It's like Verizon hates me. I would've updated using some computer at school or using my IPod, but each chapter is on a file saved on my computer, not online so it's just sitting there until I get my internet back. Anyway, I'm back with a new chapter regardless. If I get more time, I'll probably update sooner than the schedule as an apology for making you guys wait!**

 **\- Remember, ask any question via REVIEWS or PRIVATE MESSAGING will be posted here so readers can understand more!**

 **And if anyone finds any grammar mistakes, don't be afraid to point them out! I'm trying people, I really am to be perfect XD.**

 **Now READ!**

"So, this is it then?" - Human Speech

' _Wow, I expected something... more._ ' - _Human Thoughts_

 **"Ready for the worst mistake of your life?" - Pokémon Speech**

 **' _I'm itching for a fight you little shit!_ ' - Pokémon Thoughts**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Pokémon, except my Mega OC!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: With My Little Eye...**

* * *

The scream had been so loud and unexpected that nearly it caused him to lose focus on flying.

Steadying himself in the air, King's head darted around for the owner of the scream. ' ** _That sounded like a human!_** ' His red eyes scanned over the forest from above until he found what he was looking for. ' ** _But why would a human be-_** ' He saw it.

A blur of purple moving rapidly along the ground.

King narrowed his eyes to focus his vision, taking in the image of a young female child running with a panicked look on her face.

And behind her was a Serperior, quickly slithering out of a bush without a predatory leer.

Judging from the its size, King labeled the Serperior as a male.

But only when the girl stumbled over a hidden tree root did King choose dive down and provide help. He had seen the Serperior race towards her in a mad dash at seeing her fall and it wasn't the promise he made with Sophia that drove him to intervene.

But rather the safety of a young child first and foremost.

The young girl whimpered at the new scrapes along her legs before the sounds of hissing caught her attention. Her eyes widened in fear, but she didn't have much time to react when something collided with her side.

The Serperior had slammed his head into the girl's ribs, making her roll to the side and cough in pain. The Grass-Type didn't hesitate in her moment's weakness and quickly wrapped his body around her like a chain. Once he got a tight enough grip, he coiled around her form tight enough to receive a cry.

The girl's eyes were clenched and tears fell as she felt the pain worsen. "P-P-Please… don't…!"

Her cries fell on deaf ears as Serperior stretched open his mouth, readying himself to indulge in his hunger-

A roar cut in his attention from his meal, just as a black blur slammed into the ground in front of him. Serperior's eyes squinted as he tried to see who was in the plume of smoke, but then he saw a familiar blue flame flickering from side to side.

" **Just what the hell,** " King snarled as he bared his fangs at the snake. " **Do you think you're doing to that young girl?** " The dragon took a step forward as a warning. He saw the Serperior's head reel back the second his foot moved.

" **P-Pyro!?** " The Serperior stuttered. " **What are you doi-** "

" **You know damn well I don't like repeating myself.** " King informed as the flames from his mouth grew dangerously hot. His eyes were locked onto the still form of the child in Serperior's hold. It was the fact that she was still breathing that kept King from lashing out in fury. Another step forward. " **So what in the _fuck_ are you planning to do!?** "

The Serperior's sweat was noticeable until the limited light from the moon.

Or it could've been the rain, King honestly didn't care either way.

The rain…

Serperior blinked when he realized that it was indeed raining. He looked closely at King, who seemed a little pained under the endless assault on his scales and tail flame. ' ** _The rumors were true then…_** ' Serperior thought as he looked less nervous and smugger. " **So you _do_ get weaker in the rain, don't you?** " The snake inquired with a sly stare.

King narrowed his eyes.

" **What does that have to do with anything?** "

" **Well, I'm pretty sure you're just dying to get back to your cave, am I right?** " Serperior chuckled as his head bent down towards the young girl's neck. His forked tongue trailed itself from her collarbone up to her cheek, eliciting a weak flinch and a whimper. " **And I'm pretty hungry myself.** " King was finding it harder to keep his anger in check the longer Serperior stalled. " **So why don't we make a deal-** "

King let loose an enraged battle cry that sounded off for miles. His roar caused Serperior to immediately drop the girl and leave himself open long enough for King to fly over and wrap his left hand's claws around his green neck.

The two crashed against a thick tree had enough to make a loud enough 'Crack'. He wasn't sure if it was the wood breaking under the impact or Serperior's skull, but King inwardly hoped it was the latter. With a grunt, the Mega Charizard slammed the back of Serperior's head against the tree trunk a couple of times to make the snake delirious.

After Serperior found himself fading in and out of consciousness for a few seconds, he was pulled back to reality when he saw a bright, green glow enveloping King's right hand. Seeing King's Dragon Claw attack forming in front of his face, the snake gasped and started to wheeze for air in a panic.

In a futile attempt at escape, his vines slithered out and wrapped tightly around King's wrist.

" **You sure you want to keep this up?** " A deep, threatening voice challenged. A long, neon green claw pressed itself against Serperior's left cheek. Slowly and painfully, King's claw pulled itself back and tore into the snake's cheek until blood began to form. " **'Cuz I won't hesitate to skin you alive, Serperior.** "

" **M-Mercy… mercy!** " The snake wheezed in desperation, his heart beginning to pick up and started to thrash. King's claw pressed deep enough into Serperior's cut to successfully stop the snake's erratic movements. " **I promise I'll leave, I-I swear it!** " The Fire/Flying Type narrowed his eyes and pressed harder against Serperior's windpipe. The green snake's vines coiled tighter and he screamed as loud as his voice-box allowed him to. " **I SWEAR!** "

King paused for a moment and continued to glare at him. Eventually he looked back to the girl on the ground.

She was laying prone on the ground and her clothes were covered in mud. He could spot the numerous cuts along her legs and arms and from what he witnessed, there was a pretty good chance there were bruises or broken bones. King turned towards Serperior with a sneer. " **You better pray to Arceus she's alive or you can kiss your scaly ass goodbye**."

Serperior was busy seeing spots in his vision to form a legible answer.

Once King pulled him from the tree, the two moved towards the girl and King's eyes softened. He saw her chest raising and lowering, signaling that she was alive and breathing. He heard coughing and scowled as he brought Serperior back to eye level.

" **You lucked out. Now** ," The black Charizard spun on his heels and chucked the snake into the forest. " **Piss off.** " He heard the sound of scales running against twigs as Serperior retreated into the safety of the forest. " **Fucking worm.** " King snorted smoke from his nostrils before he bent down to the girl at his feet, his Dragon Claws deactivating once making contact.

" **C'mon, let's get you out of the rain.** " King whispered, reassuring the unconscious girl as he picked her up in a secure grip.

And with a strong flap of his wings, he was off.

* * *

The Charizard laid on his stomach, remaining motionless as he watched the flames flicker along the wood. It was one of the few things he managed to find dry outside of his cave. And once he brought the girl into his home, he had quickly left to find the supplies needed to keep her warm. Meaning he needed to find wood to keep her warm, leafs for her to rest on, and food when she wakes up.

After ignoring all the pain the heavy rain brought on his scales, King could finally hope to relax for the rest of the night.

On the other side of the fire, rather close to ensure warmth, was the girl. He had placed the girl over a patch of leafs to act as a cushion against the hard ground, but for the past 30 minutes, the girl remained motionless.

He didn't know what else to do.

He had no memory of what to do in case of injuries on others and even then, he had no supplies to work with in this time of need. And he couldn't risk flying her to the village, not in the storm. Instead of the heavy rain, it was now rough winds and lightning strikes. Too dangerous of conditions for even King to travel in.

Plus, he was sure if he popped up in the village in the middle of the night carrying an injured girl, the villagers would be quick to assume he tried to kill her. He didn't need that sort of drama right now. Not now, not ever. The forest Pokémon calling him Pyro was enough.

' ** _What do I do?_** ' King thought to himself.

For the moment, he was practically useless. A feeling he hated more than water.

' ** _Oh Arceus, what do I do…?_** '

Eventually King allowed himself to finally rest after moments of peace and quiet, the adrenaline running through his blood finally running out. But he didn't allow himself fall asleep. And because of that, he was capable of hearing a pained groan.

His eyes quickly opened a few moments before the girl's did.

The young girl, with a huge puff of purple hair, squirming in her sleep before she eventually woke up. Her eyes fluttered open and the first thing she noticed was the fireplace in front of her. She stared at the blue flames for a few moments, confused at the color and eventually realizing that she didn't know where she was.

Her frantic scrambling to get up was enough to catch King's attention, even if he had fallen asleep.

"Where am I?" He heard and he lifted his head to look at her. He made eye contact with her and the girl was quick to lock up in fear of the big dragon before her.

At first, King made no sudden movements to create a panic. But as he made sure the girl wouldn't freak out, he slowly began to sit up. Watching him get up, the girl began to back up and create distance between them. He froze once she started to ramble. "Y-You're the C-Charizard who lives in the mountain," Her eyes began to widen the more she spoke. "Then t-that means-" She tripped and fell on her butt. She began to cry with her arms raised over her head. "Oh my Arceus, p-please don't eat me!"

King felt his spirits drop when he heard a repeating mumble of 'I'm gonna die' under her breath.

Was his reputation in Unova that bad?

" **There's no need to be afraid, young one**." King spoke quietly. " **I won't hurt you**."

It took a moment for the girl to realize there were no humans around and that King was the one who spoke to her. With a quivering lip, the girl backed herself against a wall and hugged her knees. "Y-You can talk?"

" **Yes, I can**." King nodded as he tried to reassure her with a friendly grin. " **Been able to for a long time.** " Then he lifted one of his wings, revealing a pile of apples to the girl. " **Oh, and I gathered some apples in case you were hungry.** " King knelt down to pick up a single apple. Making sure there was no dirt or that it was rotten, King slowly made his way towards the young girl. " **Want one?** "

She flinched when he got closer and King stopped in his tracks, automatically holding up his claws. " **I already told you, I won't hurt you.** " He stepped near the pile of leafs and placed the apple down. With his claws raised to show no signs of harm, King made his way back to his spot in the cave, making sure there was distance from him and the apple.

The girl, staring at him with an uncertain eye, slowly and surely began to stand back up. Eyes locked onto the apple, she cautiously stepped closer until she had it in arm's reach. Quickly, the apple was snatched up and held to her mouth while she took a few steps back for extra measure. It was true that she was hungry, but she didn't let her guard down for a second. " **You know… you've been unconscious for nearly an hour. You should probably lay back down before you collapse.** " King advised with a concerned frown.

"How can I be sure you're not trying to trick me?" The girl accused with an arched brow, taking a pause from eating. She looked down at the ground and her voice lowered into a mumble. "I don't want to get eaten by a monster."

Hearing that, King let out a dry chuckle as he sat against the cave wall, after making sure his tail and wings were positioned correctly.

He closed his eyes as he let himself relax. " **Would a monster be giving you food? And make sure you were cared for after passing out?** " With each example, King watched the girl's accusing nature dissolve into a sheepish one. " **If I wanted to, I could've eaten you in your sleep.** " He let out a small puff of blue fire into the air and smirked to the young child, who let out an 'eep' of surprise. " **But I didn't, so you can consider me the good guy**."

He was certainly amused when he cracked open to see her expression.

The girl's dark cheeks had lit up in embarrassment when she slowly began to see the logic behind King's words. Hesitating, the girl bent down to sit on the patch of leafs. "I guess you're right…" She said in a hushed tone.

" **Indeed I am**." was all King retorted.

The atmosphere was a calm and quiet one, peaceful for King who's already grown used to it. Awkward and stressful for the young girl who was still trying to adjust to her surroundings and new… companion.

…

…

Ignoring the sounds of teeth biting into an apple, the dragon was well aware of the tension in the air. It was purely one sided, he figured. Simple to overcome. All he needed was to take the initiative…

His eyes moved from the fireplace to the girl, who sat there silently with a mostly eaten apple in her hands. Her shoulders were straight and tensed, a clear sign that meant she was afraid to move even the slightest bit. King snorted as he reached over for another apple. " **Lighten up, will ya?** " The apple was tossed into the girl's lap, who wasn't prepared and began to fumble with the fruit in her hands. " **No reason to be shy around here. I'm a friendly Fire type**."

"I-It's not like that," The girl stuttered. "It's just… I'm in a _cave_. And I'm not sure what to do..."

" **Then why don't we get comfortable and get to know each other?** " King suggested as he stood up and hobbled over to her. He held out his hand to the girl, showing his teeth in a happy smile. " **The name's King. Welcome to my cave**." He chuckled to himself at the short introduction, but he managed to get his message across.

"O-Oh!" The girl's mouth finally stretched into the smile he's been waiting for and soon enough, he felt her tiny hand take hold of his own. While being mindful of his claws. "M-My name is Iris. Pleased to meet you, King."

' ** _Raised to be polite. Excellent._** ' King thought to himself before he sat down right next to her.

" **Iris… what a pretty name. It's suits you**." King playfully nudged her shoulder and said girl felt her cheeks flush at the praise. With his new seat, King had a perfect view of the cave entrance. And with his eyes, he could still see the storm raging from the skies. They had plenty of time to talk until the weather cleared, now that his new friend has started to trust him. " **You know Iris, I gotta question for you.** "

"What is it, King?"

" **You mind telling me what you were doing in the forest in the middle of the night?** "

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! It may've been a little on the short side, but I'll probably put out another chapter sooner to make up for it! But now that Iris has been introduced, you can expect a friendship to bloom between her and King!**

 **And remember, if anybody has found or made any type of fanart of King, please don't be afraid to tell me! I'd love to see it!**

 **Stay tuned for more!**

 **REVIEW PLEASE!**


	4. Yadda, Yadda, Yadda

**Hello, what's up everyone! King, and yes I mean BOTH of us, are back with another chapter of Promise Me! Like I told you wonderful readers, I would be updating a bit sooner than my scheduled timeline just to please all my followers! Hope you appreciate it! And it seems that we have some questions in the reviews. Let's look at them shall we?**

-Guest97 (Guest): Now that he knows Iris, is there a chance he is going to meet Ash? Is he going to be Iris' Pokemon?

 **I'm afraid to say no to both of your questions. I have already planned out the story and I can safely say that King will never meet Ash or become Iris' Pokemon. You'll find out why he won't be captured, he has his reasons. And honestly, meeting Ash would kind of confuse the timeline this story is in. Let's just say that it's connected to my If I Was In Pokemon story. What's happening now is currently timed with each other, present time yet alternate universes at the same time. Everything will be clear soon, especially if you read both stories.**

 **Hope that helps!**

 **FWI, I plan on adding some filler chapters after the end of Promise Me. Probably battles or scenarios that people want to see. Hopefully I can fit them in right.**

 **(Also, I'd still highly appreciate it if people create fanart of King for me XD Like I said before, just picture Mega Charizard X's body and colors mixed with Y's ragged wings and spiked tail! If someone makes some fanart, I'll link it on my page for everyone to see!)**

"So, this is it then?" - Human Speech

' _Wow, I expected something... more._ ' - _Human Thoughts_

 **"Ready for the worst mistake of your life?" - Pokémon Speech**

 **' _I'm itching for a fight you little shit!_ ' - Pokémon Thoughts**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Pokémon, except my Mega OC!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Yadda, Yadda, Yadda...**

* * *

For what could've been hours, it had felt as nothing more than a couple of minutes.

King and Iris, after getting over the first stage of awkwardness and anxiety, the two had finally crossed the border into familiarity between them. After coming to an agreement to get to know each other, the two were quick to become friends and had nonstop conversations to pass the time.

Iris; It had been one of King's first guesses as to where she had come from. And true to his gut, the girl had told him that she was born and raised in the Village of Dragons.

After learning of her origins, King finally moved onto his biggest question; why exactly was she running around in the forest so late at night. At first, Iris was a little hesitant and embarrassed to explain, but after a stern look from King, she decided to tell him.

Out of all things Iris could've used as an excuse, King was honestly stumped when he heard that she was only looking for a Pokémon, a Dragon Type to be exact. Apparently she had been getting bullied by other children and calling her out on being unable to become the 'Dragon Master' she always claimed herself to be. And being the child she was, Iris eventually caved under the constant pressure and declared that she would venture into the forest and return with a Dragon Pokémon of her own. Without any help.

After more pestering on his part, King urged Iris to go more into detail.

Once he heard which type of Pokémon Iris had picked to capture, he honestly felt bad for the girl and irritated at the same time. It was a Deino, one of the Dark/Dragon Type Pokémon that lived in the forest. One of the very few ones at that, but King already figured which one Iris was talking about.

It was the only Deino that dared to travel near and even into her village, most of the time to steal food and play pranks on others by stealing objects, only to leave them half-buried in holes dug in the outskirts of the village. It was also the same Deino that was 'crazy enough' - the name given by the forest Pokémon themselves - to not only walk into King's cave while he slept, but to also pester him about going out and making more friends.

It took quite a while of convincing _and_ threats from King himself to finally get Deino to leave him alone.

And the Fire/Flying Type was pretty sure that week-long pact wouldn't last very long until Deino decided to drop by for the occasional 'he talks about making friends while King threatens to set him on fire'.

After reminiscing about the annoying Deino, King had tuned back into Iris' explanation and found out that Deino had indeed made an appearance in her search. Then King started to grow angry when Iris told him that Deino led her on a wild goose chase before disappearing into the dark and leaving her to find her way out of the forest.

' ** _When I get my hands on him…!_** ' King thought.

Iris' story had finally reached the point where she broke down into tears when she couldn't find her way out. Which, of course, her cries eventually alerted a nearby Serperior, the one King dealt with earlier, to her location.

" **... wow**." King said after staring blankly at Iris for a full, quiet minute. " **Just… wow**." The tanned girl squirmed under his stare and felt her cheeks heat up in growing shame. King's next words didn't help when he put both hands over his face and shook his head to the sides, an exasperated groan escaping his mouth. " **You seem like such a smart girl Iris, you really do. But after hearing all of that?** " Iris' cheeks felt like they were on fire and she looked down to her hands, suddenly becoming interested in twiddling her fingers. " **Of all the things you could've done, what you did tonight was really, _really_ stupid. Why in the world would going into the forest at night, _alone_ , seem like a good idea to prove yourself?**"

"W-Well…" Iris stammered. She sighed. "I don't know."

Taking his hands away from his face, King snapped his claws to get Iris to look up at him. And once she did, his red eyes locked onto hers in a stern glare. The type of glare a parent or guardian gives when a child does something way beyond their control. " **You could've died in that forest, ya know. If I wasn't flying when I did, you could've been eaten by that Serperior or done in by that storm outside.** "

"I know…" Iris' voice cracked and King saw the tiniest of tears build up in her eyes. Her hands balled up into fists and pressed against her thighs, her arms beginning to shake. "But I was so sick and tired of being bullied. I knew I could've leave when the adults were awake so I thought going at night was a better idea. I thought I could come back with Deino as my partner."

" **Iris, how old are you?** "

"... 8."

" **And did you honestly believe an 8-year-old can catch a Deino without another Pokémon? Do you even have any Pokéballs?** "

"No." Tears began to fall onto her legs. Now Iris was actually crying, although she was trying her hardest not to. "I was smart enough to know I couldn't catch him even if I wanted to. My plan was to find him and convince him to act like he was my partner for a few days. I didn't think he'd a-abandon me in the forest."

King fell silent as Iris choked on her own words, eyes closed to hold back the tears. "I-I just wanted to be b-b-better than them… and I failed… and I a-almost died… and, and…!"

Iris flinched when she felt a hand place itself atop of her head. " **Hey,** " She looked up to see King standing in front of her with an apologetic smile on his face. " **I, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, you know? You're still young and-** " King stopped talking when he felt two arms attempt to wrap around his stomach. Iris, with her face buried into his chest, finally broke down into violent sobs. He couldn't even see her face due to her hair blocking his view.

Then he heard it. "I was s-scared! A-and, and I didn't k-know what else t-to do…!"

He could feel her tears against the scales on his chest. At this point, King didn't know what else to do except wrap his arms around her. She was muttering uncontrollably and some words were incoherent with her hiccupping. King let out a sigh and lowered his head down to hers. He rubbed her back and started to whisper. " **It's ok, Iris. You're safe now and that's all that matters.** "

They stayed like that for a few minutes; King holding her close as a sign of protection and Iris bawling her heart out into his chest. Eventually when King heard her sobs die down, he heard a small hiccup and felt her arms tighten up. "I'm sorry, King." Iris apologized.

" **There's no need to apologize. At least, not to me.** " King admitted. " **Save that for your parents, okay?** "

Iris' head dipped lower and King immediately knew he said something wrong. "I don't have any parents… I'm an orphan."

' ** _Arceus dammit, I mess up…!_** ' King inhaled sharply and mentally berated himself.

"I don't have anyone to look after me at home." Iris mumbled.

" **Now that can't be true.** " Gently pushing her away, King was able to look Iris in the eye again. This time crimson met bloodshot. " **Surely someone is your guardian?** "

He saw Iris' eyes wander to the sides, a gesture meaning she was thinking. A good sign. Hopefully. "I guess the Elder counts," She mumbled. For a moment, King believed the situation to escalate into a positive one. That was, until Iris began to tear up again. "But I bet she doesn't even know I'm gone. Or care. She's always busy helping everyone else which ends with her barely having any time for me. Let alone notice I'm a person."

Okay, enough was enough.

King knelt down enough to reach an equal height with her. Using a single finger and being careful not to cut her, King wiped away a single tear before it could fall. " **Well of course she's always busy, she's elder.** " King said and held up a lecturing claw, waving it a little. " **But that doesn't mean she doesn't care about you. It's the elder's duty to care about her villagers, especially someone like you. I bet once the storm stops, she'll be out there searching the entire forest for you.** "

"You think so?" Iris asked.

" **Iris, I _know_ so** _._ " King chuckled.

That got the smile to come back. Even if it was a litttle one, it was enough for him. King matched her smile with a happy grin of his own. "Now chin up. I won't tolerate any more tears from you." A giggle was enough of an answer for him. That and a nod to go with it.

" **Good. Now if you'll excuse me** ," King rolled onto his side and onto his back with a loud sigh, his wings stretched out beneath him. " **Tonight got me beat. Scaring off that Serperior and flying through a thunderstorm multiple times to get supplies to make sure you made a pleasant recovery took a lot out of me.** " Honestly, he could still feel the light burning sensation the raindrops made against his scales. Now that all the worrying and stress was dealt with, he could finally relax like he was supposed to.

With a small huff, King had his eyes closed to enjoy the bliss of laying still and doing absolutely nothing.

Then he heard the shuffling of sandals.

Then he felt a weight climb onto his stomach, making him open his eyes and arch his neck to look up. There, he saw a blushing Iris laying on top of him. Her cheeks puffed with a pout and she spoke in the tiniest of voices. "I'm cold. And you're warm."

King blinked once. Twice. Then he let out a hearty laugh, making Iris bounce a little on his belly. " **If you're cold, all ya had to do was ask. I had a feeling those sticks wouldn't make a decent fire.** " With his laughter ending in small chuckles, King allowed his head to fall back down to relax his neck. " **Welcome aboard, cap'n!** "

Seeing the goofy expression on his face, Iris couldn't resist laughing herself.

Gone was the depressing atmosphere. Here came the fun time he was hoping for.

"Hey King?"

" **Hm?** "

"Uh… how did you learn how to talk?" Ah, the awaited question that King's been expecting since she woke up.

" **Well kid, it's a long story. Sure you wanna listen?** "

Iris' head craned to the side and she squinted to see into the rainy night outside. "We got time." She answered. "Plus, it'll help get to know you better. After all, I told you all about me."

" **You got me there.** " King snickered, his mind beginning to think back to the very beginning. " **Now I must warn you, all of it may sound a bit strange at first and a little farfetched, but I promise you it's all true.** "

"I'll be the judge of that." Iris huffed as she got herself settled into a comfortable position.

" **Alright then, now I just need to find a place to start...** " King smirked as a certain celestial being came to mind. " **Iris, have you ever heard of the legendary Pokémon Arceus?** "

* * *

 **There we go everyone! Another chapter successfully put out for your entertainment!**

 **And remember, if anybody has found or made any type of fanart of King, please don't be afraid to tell me! I'd love to see it! (Mega Charizard X's black/blue colors and body mixed with Y's ragged wings and spiked tail!**

 **Stay tuned for more!**

 **REVIEW PLEASE!**


	5. Story Time

**Hello, what's up everyone! Quick Question: I know Pokémon Go has almost already faded from the popular life, but I still wanna know; which team did you guys pick? Just to let you know, I'm part of Instinct! The one true team filled with fun and dreams! XD Don't like it? Who the hell cares? I know I don't. And just a heads up, the mentioning of Legendary Pokémon will be in this chapter. Especially one of my favorites, Zapdos. (The other two favorites being Rayquaza and Groudon) You also might catch mentions of attacks that Zapdos doesn't normally have, but you, being a feathery titan of lightness doesn't really limit him to such things.**

 **Anyway, let's move on!**

 **FWI, I plan on adding some filler chapters after the end of Promise Me. Probably battles or scenarios that people want to see. Hopefully I can fit them in right.**

 **(Also, I'd still highly appreciate it if people create fanart of King for me XD Like I said before, just picture Mega Charizard X's body and colors mixed with Y's ragged wings and spiked tail! If someone makes some fanart, I'll link it on my page for everyone to see!)**

"So, this is it then?" - Human Speech

' _Wow, I expected something... more._ ' - _Human Thoughts_

 **"Ready for the worst mistake of your life?" - Pokémon Speech**

 **' _I'm itching for a fight you little shit!_ ' - Pokémon Thoughts**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Pokémon, except my Mega OC!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Story Time**

* * *

"You're a human?" Iris' mouth gaped in awe.

" **Correction: Used to. I _used_ to be human.** " King informed nonchalantly.

They had just gotten through the introduction of King's history, the true mind-blower.

At first, Iris was close to calling King out on his bluff and was about to demand an honest answer. However, after King had reminded her of the logic that he, a _Pokémon_ , was currently speaking perfect English to her, was enough to prove his words held some form of truth behind them. And just like King expected, Iris had been gob-smacked after he got finished explaining exactly who and what Arceus was to him.

The creator of the world, the universe and every living thing residing inside it.

And the being who gave him another chance at life.

While he had not personally seen her in action, King endlessly praised Arceus' powers from his experience in her realm. As well as communicating with her and a few others.

Others being the selected Legendary Pokémon, Arceus' specially created children.

He mentioned that after evolving into his Charizard self, he had gotten the chance to battle plenty of enemies throughout the years. Some of them being Legends themselves. Included in his history was King's first experience meeting Zapdos; the bird of thunder and king of Lightning Types.

It started off harmless with King trying to find a new home to live in, a way to escape constant battling against trainers. However by chance, King had traveled across Kanto and found one of a group of islands in the ocean.

Which was the home of Zapdos himself.

And the second the two of them had locked eyes, King found out the hard way how territorial Zapdos was of his home.

" **I wouldn't call it much of a fun battle.** " King said flatly, remembering how Zapdos jumped from surprise to warning threats to all out launching lightning bolts from the sky before he could explain himself. King waved a hand in a so-so kind of manner. " **Eeeh, it was more of a life and death kind of deal. It was pretty intense, I'll tell you that**."

It was a battle that surpassed all of his other fights prior to that day, _including_ his match against Lance.

Hour after hour, the skies had been filled with blue fire and streaks of golden lightning in a twisted way to resemble an angry lightshow. Having been a Mega Pokémon since birth, it had been King's extra strength given to him by Arceus herself, that enabled him to fight for so long. Especially the times he had to endure the pain and keep fighting on to stay alive.

It was Flamethrower against Electro-Balls, Aerial Aces to avoid incoming Discharge strikes, Fire-Blast to overpower Drill Peck, and Flare Blitz to tie against Volt Tackle…

There had been plenty of moves thrown about that King eventually learned through self-training and in-battle strategies. Moves like Dragon Pulse, Twister, Fire Punch, Dragon Claw, more and more to protect himself against Zapdos' endless lightning-bolts.

Eventually, after nearly 5 hours of straight battling, the commotion had finally gotten the attention of Zapdos' sleeping sisters: Articuno and Moltres. Not only them, but even the Guardian of the Sea, Lugia himself.

" **It was rough and I ached all over.** " King remembered the agonizing pain in his wings from over-flying to dodge attacks. As well as the endless tingling he felt in his muscles from too much contact with electricity. " **But I managed to fight until we both dropped. It was technically ended as a draw. Zapdos hit me with a fully powered Thunder and I hit him with my strongest Fire-Blast to the face.** "

"Whoa…" Iris gasped. The story was quick to pull her in. "Then what happened?"

" **Well, after falling from the sky and collapsing on Zapdos' island, neither of us wanted to move anymore. Not that we could of course. We were both too tired and in pain to move. The adrenaline having faded away, I took the chance to explain myself. So few minutes, I repeatedly tried to clear up any misunderstandings between us, but Zapdos still refused to listen. Heck, I even tried to butter him up by complimenting his strength. Still didn't listen."** King shook his head and let out a sigh. " **That bird was stubborn. Too stubborn. Luckily I didn't have to wait long** **until the other Legendaries showed up**."

Luckily, Zapdos' sisters and Lugia were more patient and understanding to know the term 'talk first, attack later'.

First it was Lugia who questioned the two of them, starting with Zapdos first. It was like he knew the legendary was prone for trouble and expected nothing less when hearing Zapdos' story of how the thunder-bird went ballistic trying protecting his home.

Then after Lugia questioned King, the group finally got Zapdos to understand that he wasn't invading with any ill-intent, but looking for a home. And not only did they explain King's innocence, but they also revealed their knowledge of his existence, courtesy of Arceus who held a meeting a few years prior.

A meeting Zapdos forgot to attend because he had fallen ill and overslept.

Apparently all of the Legendaries knew about King's extraordinary powers and history of being human. But none of them made any attempt at meeting him so far. Instead, they waited patiently for him to reach one of them.

And it so happened to be Zapdos, one of the most hard-headed and extremely challenging fighters in the Legend Circle, to meet King face-to-face before anyone else.

" **I tell you, when I say that fight was the toughest thing I've ever survived in, I mean it.** **Zapdos is the reason I have so many scars.** " King lurched his head up and pointed a claw to his face, specifically the scar over his eye. " **Including this one right here**." He had to explain to Iris that the tinier scars over his scales were the ones he got from battling trainers. But the big ones, like the scar over his eye, they were all from Zapdos.

"Ooh, what happened?" Iris winced, trying to imagine how painful it was fresh.

" **I barely dodged a Steel Wing to the face. Zapdos' wings aren't just sharp for show.** "

"Did it hurt?" It was a dumb question, even Iris knew it. But she had to ask. It wasn't every day she had the chance to learn about a battle against a Legendary Bird.

" **Burned like a bi-heck. It burned like heck.** " He quickly correcting himself, nearly slipping a curse word into the mix.

"It's ok." Iris poked his chest with a finger and giggled. "I know all about curse words."

" **Doesn't mean you're old enough to listen and use them.** " King narrowed his eyes at her, but he had a smirk. There was no way in hell he'd use foul language around children. Another giggle, but she made no further attempts to argue over curse words.

"But King, how were you able to fight Zapdos to a draw? I thought you're just a Charizard."

" **Another correction: I'm a Mega Charizard now, born a Mega Charmander to be honest. And apparently I'm something of a mix between X and Y, whatever that means. But it's because of Arceus' gift that gave me so much power to fight. And it's kind of funny that you asked because after meeting the Legendary Birds and Sea Guardian, Lugia told me that I was strong. Really strong. Like, I could be called a legendary Pokémon if I wanted to.** "

"Aren't you?"

" **Eh, I guess you can call me that. But it's mostly a title. They can call me anything they want. But I would be happy to be considered a legend. After winning so many battles, I wouldn't be surprised.** "

"No wonder nobody could catch you." Iris declared with outstretched arms. She began to laugh. "You're too strong for them to handle!"

" **That and I really didn't want to be captured.** " King admitted with a grumble.

"What do you mean?" The girl blinked in confusion. She was quick to notice the hint of resentment lingering around the word 'capture'. A hint that pegged the question. "Surely, being captured isn't _that_ bad. Right?"

" **I _mean_ ,**" King started with a scowl. " **after living as a free Pokémon for a few years, I got to see things from their perspective. While living in the wild is a little underrated, I would definitely choose that over a Pokéball**." King's arms raised in front of Iris and his hands made the shape of an imaginary ball. " **Just picture it. I have a chance to live again and I've been free in both lives. Being confined in a tiny ball isn't exactly appealing to anyone. Which is why I'm against catching Pokémon anyway.** "

Iris arched a brow. "I guess a Pokéball is a little too uncomfortable for a Pokémon to live in, but why would that make you hate Pokémon Trainers? They did nothing bad. Right?"

" **It's not the trainers I'm talking about. It's catching Pokémon in general. It's like a contract for enslavement, forcing someone to battle others.** " The way King spoke earned a frown from the girl laying on his stomach. " **If a Pokémon agrees to join its trainer, I'm perfectly okay with it. But hunting them down and ripping them from their habitats is where I draw the line.** "

"But... plenty of Pokémon enjoy battling and all of them become friends with their trainers." As Iris spoke, her voice grew meek. She felt the atmosphere grow a bit tense once she made direct eye-contact with the Charizard.

" **Sorry to say Iris, but not every Pokémon gets the luxury of having a nice trainer. Some people enjoy poaching Pokémon, only to trade them for profit. Others like to catch Pokémon and violently shape them into a battle-ready machine without any show of love.** " King eventually took notice of Iris' depressed expression and saw how each word made the frown on her face grow. He needed to monitor his words carefully. He tapped her shoulder with a single claw. " **Look, I don't want to ruin a Pokémon Trainer's reputation for you, but I'm just saying what I believe in**."

"I… I'm not sure if I want to be a trainer anymore." Iris said quietly. The uncertainty in her voice King do a double-take. Did he just crush a little girl's dream? "If catching Pokémon is so bad, I don't want to upset anyone. Especially you…"

They had finally gotten passed all the depressing talk and now King's words risked a relapse. After a moment of thinking, King finally came to an idea. " **... Maybe we can both get what we want.** " King said as he suddenly sat up, causing Iris to squeak in surprise and slide off. She would've fallen to the floor if it weren't for King catching her at the last moment. " **But I need you to promise me something.** "

After finding proper footing, Iris stood up and smoothed the wrinkles out of her clothing. "Promise you what?"

" **I don't want you to change your dream just because I'm grumping about catching Pokémon.** " The Mega Pokémon jutted a thumb-claw lightly against the scales on his chest. " **So I came up with an idea that helps both of us. I want you to become a trainer, but I want you to do it in a special way.** " Before Iris could ask what he was talking about, King continued to explain. " **You said you want to become a Dragon Master, right?** " A nod of confirmation. " **Then I challenge you to make the strongest team you can. But the twist is you cannot, you listening, _cannot_ battle a Pokémon into your team. The challenge is to make a bond with a Pokémon and have it agree to join you.** "

" **Think you can do that?** " King finally concluded with a question, watching the girl silently think it over. It didn't take to long before she came to an answer.

"That's exactly what a Dragon Master is supposed to be." Iris began with a smile. "I don't want to force anyone, not after hearing you talk about it like it's a bad thing. But rather, I want to make friends that I can grow strong with."

" **Challenge accepted?** " King held out his smallest finger, his pinkie.

"Challenge-" Just as Iris hooked her pinkie around his, a yawn found its way out of her mouth. "Challenge accepted, King."

It was at this point that King noticed exactly how tired she was. Even after a good nap to recover from small wounds, Iris had tiny bags under her eyes and the way she was hunched over tipped him off.

Without a warning, Iris let out an " _Eep!_ " when King picked her up in his arms and walked her over to the pile of leafs on the floor. " **C'mon kiddo, time for bed. I don't want you to be exhausted during the day tomorrow.** " Using his tail to gather up the leafs into a softer pile, King gently set Iris down on her back near the fireplace.

Just as King went to walk away, he felt a tiny hand grab onto his tail. He flinched for a moment, thinking he accidentally burned his new friend, but he was glad when he looked down and found that she was unscathed. Iris only gave another yawn and looked at him with tired eyes. "Where are you going, King?"

" **I'm going to sleep near the cave entrance. I need to make sure nothing comes in during the night.** " Then with a teasing grin, King added - " **And I'm pretty sure girls your age want privacy, right?** "

"Don't." The purple haired child mumbled. "I don't wanna be alone…" King wasn't sure if it was the way she said it or if he lost his touch against the world's infamous puppy eyes. But he felt himself fall under Iris' command quicker than he'd like to admit. With an eye-roll, the Mega Pokémon nodded his head.

" **Ok, kid. Make some room.** "

Iris didn't hesitate to scooch over on her leafs just as King laid down. Letting loose a yawn of his own, King wasn't really surprised that the time for sleep was catching up to him. He made sure to find a suitable place on the ground that wouldn't end up with him crushing Iris in his sleep. Afterwards, he looked over to make sure Iris was right beside him. Without thinking, King soon realized that he had draped one of his wings over the little girl.

He felt her snuggle up under his wing and King found Iris already fast asleep within a matter of minutes.

He smiled.

Taking a moment to listen to her soft snoring, he eventually let out another short yawn and the Charizard soon closed his eyes as well.

* * *

 **There we go everyone! Another chapter successfully put out for your entertainment!**

 **Whaddya guys think? Any mistakes? Hope not, because this chapter was the start of a beautiful friendship! And for people who're wondering about labeling the Legendaries, I personally believe that groups are siblings and certain Pokémon have genders that appeal to me the most. Here's a list if you want to know:**

 **Males: ** Zapdos, Lugia, Mewtwo, Raikou, Entei, Shaymin, Regirock, Registeel, Regigigas, Latios, Rayquaza, Groudon, Palkia, Darkrai, Heatran, Zekrom, Kyurem, Cobalion, Terrakion, Tornadus, Thundurus, Landorus, Victini, Keldeo, Yveltal, Hoopa, Volcanion, Solgaleo.

 **Females: ** Articuno, Moltres, Mew, Arceus, Suicune, Ho-Oh, Celebi, Jirachi, Deoxys, Manaphy, Regice, Latias, Kyogre, Mesprit, Azelf, Uxie, Giratina, Dialga, Cresselia, Reshiram, Virizion, Xerneas, Zygarde, Meloetta, Genesect, Diancie, Lunala, Magearna, Arceus.

 **Happy? I probably missed some since they made so FUCKING MANY! And maybe in the future I'll do something with these genders...**

 **Anyway, I'll leave it here! Until next time peeps!**

 **REVIEW OR PRIVATE MESSAGE me any questions regarding the story!**

 **But still, seriously. REVIEW PLEASE!**

 **And remember, if anybody has found or made any type of fanart of King, please don't be afraid to tell me! I'd love to see it! (Mega Charizard X's black/blue colors and body mixed with Y's ragged wings and spiked tail!**

 **Stay tuned for more!**

 **REVIEW PLEASE!**


	6. Me? Responsible?

**Wow, kind of put off by the lack of reviews on the last chapter. Come on guys, gotta fill me up with that HAPPY SAUCE! XD Here's another chapter, kind of a longer one since I couldn't really hack it into parts. Hope you guys enjoy!**

 **\- And remember that any reviews/private messages that are questions will be posted on each chapter so everyone can get an answer!**

 **FWI, I plan on adding some filler chapters after the end of Promise Me. Probably battles or scenarios that people want to see. Hopefully I can fit them in right.**

 **(Also, I'd still highly appreciate it if people create fanart of King for me XD Like I said before, just picture Mega Charizard X's body and colors mixed with Y's ragged wings and spiked tail! If someone makes some fanart, I'll link it on my page for everyone to see!)**

 **Now let's get down to it!**

"So, this is it then?" - Human Speech

' _Wow, I expected something... more._ ' - _Human Thoughts_

 **"Ready for the worst mistake of your life?" - Pokémon Speech**

 **' _I'm itching for a fight you little shit!_ ' - Pokémon Thoughts**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Pokémon, except my Mega OC!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Me? Responsible?**

 ** _*Crunch, crunch…*_**

 ** _*Crunch, crunch…*_**

The sounds were enough to quickly yank him out of his sleep and King's head pulled itself up like a bullet. His red eyes immediately focused in on the source of the sounds as fast as his reflexes allowed him to.

The first thing King noticed was a shadow silhouette walking towards him. And by the warmth under his right wing, he could guess meeting Iris wasn't a dream he had over night.

The shadow - its details blurred due to King's sensitive morning eyes to the light behind it - stopped moving as soon as King let out a low growl as a warning. Behind him, his tail began to swish back and forth as his tail flame began to heat up.

"It's just me King." A familiar voice sounded. "No need to be alarmed."

"... **Sophia?** " King whispered as the voice finally registered into his tired brain.

Only one person was brave enough to venture into his cave, especially during his sleeping hours...

Blinking the sleep away from his eyes, King's vision finally adjusted to the light and took in the appearance the of the woman before him. She wasn't very tall and one couldn't tell how frail she looked due to her robes. But after seeing exactly how old she looked, King wasn't so curious anymore. Especially taking notice of the wrinkles that surrounded her kind smile.

"It's good to see that you're doing well, King." Sophia - or specifically the Village of Dragon's Elder - quietly greeted and walked up to King with a peaceful stride.

" **I take it you're here for the kid?** " King asked. Seeing no threat within the cave, he relaxed and resumed resting his head back on the ground. He looked back over to his wing and saw a ball of purple bed-head hair. It was all ruffled up and tangled with leafs and tiny clumps of dirt, but King could make out the sleeping face of his friend under all of it.

"Indeed." Sophia nodded, kneeling down in front of the two.

" **Hey, what time is it anyway?** " King questioned after seeing the bright light outside of the cave. " **That storm last night shouldn't have ended so soon.** "

"With your sleeping habits, you should know it's well in the afternoon." The elder giggled to herself.

" **Oh, I guess you're right. Last night was pretty eventful anyway.** " He recalled the hazardous storms he had to fly through in search of fruit and dry supplies. And a certain Serperior he nearly scared to death.

A thought came to mind. A scary one. King's muzzle pulled back into a distasteful grimace. " **Does the villagers know you're in my cave? I don't want to start a panic and deal with a vengeful mob if they think I ate you or something**."

"They know fully well where I am. Plus, most of them are busy searching for young Iris." Sophia gestured to the sleeping girl. "It didn't take long before word spread about her disappearance. And once the storm stopped this morning, everyone began to search for her. Some villagers are even in the forest below looking for any sign of her."

" **While it's nice that they're stressed out over one little girl,** " King's mouth curled into a scowl. " **She wouldn't be missing if it weren't for a couple of kids bullying her into running into a forest at night.** "

"... Then those boys lied to me."

" **You knew about the bullying?** "

"I've been aware for a while, yes."

" **And you've done nothing to stop it?** " King questioned, completely flabbergasted. He jutted out a claw and pointed at her. " **C'mon, you're the village leader Sophia! It's your job to stop conflicts before they get worse!** " While his voice was raising in aggravation, King made sure his voice was low enough as to not disturb Iris' slumber. Although it was still loud enough to cause her to stir.

"I have tried numerous times to stop the bullying, but the boys who've been teasing her seem to need proper scolding for lying to me and endangering her life." Sophia sighed, already coming up with ideas of sufficient punishment for each of the three boys. One of those being weeks of hard labor with the adults.

 **"Why not send them to my cave? I'll be happy to scare them straight, Sophia.** " As serious as he was to suggest such a thing, King still couldn't resist the chuckle at the end. It always did amuse him to see the terrified faces of those he purposely scared.

Sophia gave an amused snort and slowly shook her head. "You know I can't do that, King."

" **It's not like I'd hurt them.** " King gave the older woman a toothy grin. " **You know me well enough in the short times we've spoken.** "

"It's not my opinion of you at stake, but the villagers. Especially their parents. It wouldn't do any good if they assumed you attacked their children."

"... **True**."

"But on the contrary if they could see you now, they'd say otherwise." Sophia's mouth curled into a kind smile. The black Charizard arched a scaly brow. "It seems you've grown quite attached to young Iris in the small time you've spent together."

" **What can I say?** " King shot the sleeping girl another look and didn't know he was smiling until he looked away. " **She grew on me. Hard not to since she's the only villager after you to really accept me for who I am**." If Sophia was surprised, she didn't show it. But her smile did get noticeably bigger. It was amusing to say the least. The fabled 'scary black dragon that eats humans' laying down next to an eight-year-old and acting as her nightly teddy bear.

"And with how easily you speak of her, I assume…?"

" **Yes Sophia, she knows about my English.** " King rolled his eyes. " **As well as practically everything else about me.** "

"Everything? Why, I'm a little disappointed." Sophia teased with a hearty giggle. "I only know of your ability to talk and that you lived past life as a human. What else is there to learn?"

" **Plenty. From meeting Arceus to fighting Champions to meeting more Legendary Pokémon... the list can go on**." King sighed as he remembered everything they spoke about last night. Now that he thought back, he rarely told anybody about his past. The only people he's ever told were Sophia out of respect and each region's Champion; out of respect _and_ protection from others.

Now here he was, trusting a young girl with his biggest secret.

Nonetheless, he shrugged. " **Like I said, kid really grew on me. And I don't know how, so don't ask.** "

"I never took you for such a softie." Sophia joked. "Always boasting about how strong you are…"

" **Now you're making me seem like an egotistical brute**." King laughed in return.

"Not always, no. But as much as I wish to stay and catch up with you, I must continue with why I came here." With a quiet grunt of effort, the elder pushed herself back to her feet and brushed off the dirt from her robes. With a small bow of respect, Sophia said, "If you'll excuse me, I'll be taking Iris back home before the villagers start to worry about the _both_ of our whereabouts."

" **Guess you're right. Okay,** " Gently moving his wing, King slowly nudged Iris back and forth. With a soft voice, King whispered close to her. " **Hey... Hey kid, come on... It's time to go back home…** "

The rocking back and forth urged a reaction from the sleeping girl, a mutter that was too quiet for Sophia to hear. But loud enough for King, who stopped his wing and looked at her with wide eyes.

The whisper sounded like she said " _... papa…_ "

While King was busy being stunned into silence, his efforts had effectively awoken Iris from her sleep.

Iris caught King's attention when she began to mumble incoherent words until she started to move around. Feeling her body stretch from under his wing, King quickly lifted it up to allow Iris more room to move about. After letting her wake up at her own pace, both adults eventually saw Iris sit up with a yawn.

As she brushed off the leafs that were stuck to her face, Iris cracked open an eye and took a moment to recognize Sophia. "E-Elder? What are you doing in my home?"

"Take a better look at your surroundings, Iris." Sophia suggested with a chuckle.

The younger girl did as she was told and as soon as she did, she took in a couple of things. First she saw a burnt out fireplace, then the walls of the cave around her, then the leafs she slept on, and finally - "King?" Iris' eyes met the familiar red and received a toothy grin.

" **Had a nice sleep kid?** " King asked. " **You were out like a light last night.** "

She gave him a sleepy smile in return. "Good morning to you too, King."

"Come now, Iris. It's time we head back to the village. The others are worried about you." Sophia informed. Pulling a hand out of her robes, the older woman grabbed Iris' hands and pulled her to her feet.

The happiness gradually left Iris' face as soon as she felt the warmth of King's body vanish. Then she realized what was happening. "Iris? Is something wrong?" The elder questioned, noticing the sadness in her eyes.

"It's just… I don't wanna go…" Iris whispered.

That's when King decided it was time to get up as well. After stretching out the kinks in his bones, the dragon-like Mega Pokémon placed a hand on Iris' left shoulder. " **Don't be upset, kid. If you go back, you'll get to sleep in a warm bed and eat something better than apples. And hey, you'll still be able to visit me whenever you want.** "

"If she has a guardian to travel with her of course." Sophia added, making sure to put Iris' safety before anything else.

" **See? Everything's cool**." King finished with a thought. ' _ **If anyone else were actually brave enough to escort her back to my cave, that is.**_ '

Iris let go of Sophia's hand and backed up to hug King's side. Both adults looked on in surprise when they saw the strong, defiant look Iris' face. However, the one who was most surprised was the elder herself. Iris had never disagreed with her before. At least not like this. "Iris?" The older woman called gently.

"I want to stay with King."

" **Iris,** " King spoke up before Sophia could. " **As much as I'd _love_ to have a roommate, I really don't think that's a very good idea.** " The look of betrayal on the little girl's face was enough to make his heart sting a little. King quickly corrected himself. " **I-I mean, you can't live on fruits forever, right? And what about clothes? Medicine?** "

"B-But…"

"Is it the bullies, Iris?" Sophia brought up with a concerned voice. "If so, I promise we'll have a serious talk to get them to stop teasing you."

"It's not them, Elder." Iris said. She sighed. "I've... been feeling uncomfortable in the village lately."

"... Uncomfortable how?"

Iris didn't say anything for a while, leaving both Sophia and King to grow even more worried for whatever reason she had. Obviously from the way she spoke and how stiff her posture was, Iris was starting to feel the pressure of both adults looking down on her. Taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves, Iris felt the words leave before she could stop herself. "...I feel like I don't fit in anymore."

"Oh Iris…" Sophia knelt down before the purple haired girl and looked up into her eyes. "Why do you feel like this? Did someone do anything to you? Was it something _I_ did?"

"Of course not!" Iris quickly retorted, not wanting the older woman to feel guilty for her problems. "It's not you or the villagers. I-I think." Iris stuttered, closing her eyes and trying to find the right words in her head. "It's not like I hate anyone. But I like being out here, in the forest with all the Pokémon. I feel like I belong here." She felt awkward as she tried to explain herself. And as soon as she opened her eyes, she felt Sophia's gaze drill right through her. "Is… does that sound weird?"

" **Well…** " King started, sheepishly scratching his cheek with a claw.

"Not at all." Sophia quickly interjected, shooting King a quick and stern glare before putting her focus back on Iris. With a comforting smile, Sophia shook her head. "It's not weird, Iris. In fact, it's completely normal for someone of your age. You wish to see more of the world and not remain in the village, correct?"

"Almost. It's hard to explain, Elder." Iris ran a hand through her thick hair and nervously chuckled. "But I know I'm not ready to see more of the world. At least not yet. I just feel more comfortable around Pokémon." Hearing her said that made King pause for a moment. Tapping his chin with a claw, the dragon-like Mega Pokémon thought back to something he'd always see in the woods.

" **Quick question. Iris, are you the young girl that I normally see playing with the forest Pokémon on some days?** " King questioned, tapping his chin in thought. He thought back to days he spent flying around the forest to get exercise and spotted the occasional purple hair among critters. Once King got a nod from Iris, that was enough to confirm his suspicions. " **Maybe the kid feels like she's around those who understand her. Unlike those kids who mock her dream of becoming a Dragon Master. The forest Pokémon are definitely kinder than most humans, that's for sure.** " King snickered and lightly nudged his elbow against Iris' shoulder, earning a small giggle in return. " **And I've seen the friendly dogpiles Iris joins in.** "

"I think I'm starting to understand what King is saying." Sophia slowly nodded. "Iris, is King telling the truth?"

"Yes Elder."

King blinked in puzzlement when he saw Sophia silently stare into Iris' eyes. For several moments, nobody spoke until Sophia broke the silence with a small clap. "Then it's settled." The older woman stood up at full height to look at King with a smile.

" **What's settled, Sophia?** "

"I've decided to let Iris stay with you, King." Sophia answered.

" **What** /Really!?" Two voices exclaimed at once; one voice in disbelief, the other in excitement, both in complete shock. The village elder did not flinch under their combined volume as it only widened her smile. " **Sophia, you can't be serious! Think of the living conditions Iris will be in!** " King tried to protest. " **I don't even know how to raise a kid!** "

"Are you sure, Elder? I can really stay with King?"

"I stand by my choice, King, Iris. I do not wish to cause Iris anymore discomfort by forcing her to live in the village against her wishes." After reassuring Iris that her wishes had indeed come true, Sophia then turned to King, who was visibly stunned. "And I wouldn't worry very much King. As I've seen, Iris is very capable of taking care of herself in a lot of things. And that includes finding the right food in the forest."

King opened his mouth.

"I will check in every Saturday to make sure Iris is in perfect health."

He closed it. Then opened it.

"And I will provide her means of clean clothes every week as well."

" **... what about the villagers? Will they even allow this?** "

"I'm not the village elder for no reason, ya know." Sophia giggled before coughing into her hand and speaking evenly. "I will speak to them myself and explain that it is my choice. I will make sure they see no harm in this. _Right,_ King?" The dragon actually flinched under her calm tone of voice.

" **O-Of course I'll protect her! But Sophia** -"

"Aren't you happy, King?" Iris spoke up, poking King in the side of his stomach to get his attention.

" **Uh, yeah I'm happy Iris. But this is crazy. Are you really sure you want to live out here? With me, the 'monster of the forest'?** " King had already lost count of how many times he's been caught off guard since Sophia first stepped foot in his cave. And seeing the hurt look in Iris' eye only added to that list.

"I'm one hundred percent sure, King." Iris said with a confident nod. "So please, can I stay with you?" It was those damn puppy eyes again!

Once again, the dragon found himself caving in under the girl's begging face. With a sigh, King leaned over and placed a hand on Iris' head. " **Alright, you win.** " He smirked when he heard a happy gasp and felt Iris bounce where she stood. King gave Sophia a side glance and a slightly nervous grin. " **I'll do it, Sophia. But if anything bad happens, I'm giving her right back. Remember, I'm not used to responsibility like this.** "

"I understand perfectly." The older woman gave the two a curt bow. "I bid you both farewell. And remember Iris, listen to what King says. He's your guardian now." Pointing to the girl in question, she got a hasty nod in return. "And if you ever feel homesick, ask King to drop you by for a visit sometime. Ok?"

"Yes Elder! Thank you very much!" Before the elder could turn around and leave, Iris enveloped the old lady in a hug around her waist. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She repeated.

As Sophia laughed and rubbed Iris' dirty hair, King stood back and watched them in silence.

It was strange, for him at least.

So much had happened in such a short time.

He rescued her during a storm.

He told her everything about himself.

He learned a lot about her as well.

Looking at the two dance around in happiness, King could only see Iris as a little ball of joy.

King smiled.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

 **Like? Dislike? Peeps, as a reader, you know I crave that feedback XD Lay it on me if you will! I will continue later on with the next chapter, but some things might take a little longer than others. You'll just have to wait!**

 **REVIEW OR PRIVATE MESSAGE me any questions regarding the story!**

 **But still, seriously. REVIEW PLEASE!**

 **And remember, if anybody has found or made any type of fanart of King, please don't be afraid to tell me! I'd love to see it! (Mega Charizard X's black/blue colors and body mixed with Y's ragged wings and spiked tail!**

 **Stay tuned for more!**

 **REVIEW PLEASE!**


	7. Blessed

**And I have returned with another chapter my loyal readers! Didn't take too long, right? Anyway, like before I haven't really gotten much feedback from the last chapter. Not really surprised, but it still sucks. Still happy that people read my stories at least. Anyway, here we are with another chap that I'm sure some people have been itching for. Although there isn't much excitement, like all the other chapters. Oh well. XD**

 **\- And remember that any reviews/private messages that are questions will be posted on each chapter so everyone can get an answer!**

 **FWI, I plan on adding some filler chapters after the end of Promise Me. Probably battles or scenarios that people want to see. Hopefully I can fit them in right.**

 _(Also, I'd still highly appreciate it if people create fanart of King for me XD Like I said before, just picture Mega Charizard X's body and colors mixed with Y's ragged wings and spiked tail! If someone makes some fanart, I'll link it on my page for everyone to see!)_

 **Now let's get down to it!**

"So, this is it then?" - Human Speech

' _Wow, I expected something... more._ ' - _Human Thoughts_

 **"Ready for the worst mistake of your life?" - Pokémon Speech**

 **' _I'm itching for a fight you little shit!_ ' - Pokémon Thoughts**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Pokémon, except my Mega OC!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Blessed**

* * *

It was… a rough start to say the least.

But King would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it.

With Iris, he found having a roommate to be quite entertaining and helpful whenever he wanted to chat.

Although not everything was fun. At least not to King after he started to worry about Iris being involved in any dangerous situations.

Even after Sophia, the elder, gave her word that Iris was allowed to stay with him in the forest, King's head had always been filled with doubt of Iris' safety. It was this or that, anything he looked at was to be considered a danger to her health and King did everything he could to keep her away from harm.

The drop to the forest from the cliff in front of his cave was an obvious hazard, so the first rule had been stated that Iris always gave him the heads up when she wanted to leave the cave.

The second rule was another obvious one; don't wander outside when the sun was setting.

Those were the first two logical rules, but after that, King couldn't stop himself from limiting Iris' activities like an overprotective parent would've done. And of course even Iris eventually grew fed up with King's 'laws' and attempted to talk to him about changes.

Only Sophia's advice about 'children who learn from mistakes helps them reach maturity faster' was enough to convince King to change his overprotective attitude.

And ever since then, things couldn't have been better.

Like Sophia promised, she had told the villagers about Iris' choice to live with King.

As expected, King learned that there was a group that tried readying themselves to barge into his cave and 'rescue Iris from the monster'. But after using her title as the village elder, Sophia's demands for peace were obeyed until she said otherwise.

Still, it took a while for some people to cope with one of their own living in the wildlife instead of their own little home in the fields.

Although, King couldn't care less about their opinions, that much was sure.

All he cared about was the possible threat of someone being stupid enough to actually challenge him and attempt to take Iris away.

Because of that, he'd been on guard for weeks, not letting himself fully sleep at night to keep an eye out for anything. Human, Pokémon, it didn't matter. He had made a mental promise to keep Iris away from harm or anything that forced her to do anything she didn't like.

It took days of reassuring from Sophia that nothing would happen with her villagers.

And days for word to spread throughout the forest Pokémon; that the 'Pyro has a kid and will murder anything that harms her'.

After the warnings were done and over with, King had finally allowed Iris more freedom and increased the joy of living with him. And he started it off in the best way he could think of.

Flying.

Even with all the excitement Iris expressed when King suggested a ride on his back every day, the girl herself was absolutely terrified of the risk of falling off. Plenty of reassuring words that he would never let her fall later, King soon convinced Iris to give it a single try. And she did.

All it took was the feeling of wind against her face and the thrill of seeing the forest itself from a sky-view to seal the deal on daily flying. Afterwards, Iris had been so into it that she wanted nothing more than to fly through the air for nearly an hour more. Of course King was capable of flying for such a period of time, but he didn't want to risk getting tired enough to drop her and be unable to catch her in time. So it was given a time schedule. Every morning, an hour after waking up, Iris deemed it the 'perfect wake-up call' to get her up and moving each day.

That was one of the main things that happened in the first few weeks of Iris' new home.

The next was making more friends.

As it would seem, because of King's reputation, the forest Pokémon were too afraid to even play with Iris. After a lot of begging and using of her 'puppy eyes', Iris had managed to convince King to travel into the forest for an hour each day and attempt to interact with more Pokémon.

"One step at a time." Was Iris' go-to motto for friendship.

King had never felt more awkward and embarrassed each time he was pulled into the forest with Iris' hand clamped around one of his large fingers. It wasn't something he was used to. Having years of being the 'Champion Pokémon', the most ruthless fighter and having a menacing appearance, it didn't exactly mix well with a little girl holding his hand and pulling him around like he was a child.

Although he would hate to admit it; he kinda was.

As much as he hated to think about it, he didn't know how old he was when he died. So he literally had to start at age 0 once he woke up as a Charmander. Now, as a fully grown Charizard, he could consider himself nearly Iris' age. Maybe even younger…

King made sure to never mention his real age around Iris. It wouldn't be good if she realized she was the real 'adult' between them.

But it didn't matter who was older when Iris had literally demanded that he tried to make more friends anyway. She would never take a no as an answer.

Which ended up with King sitting in the middle of a grassy field while Iris roamed around, in his field of vision, calling for her friends. So far Iris hadn't stopped calling for 30 minutes and both of them knew the forest Pokémon were somewhere close, but were too afraid to come out.

Until Iris nearly started to cry.

That's when a Drilbur took the time to quickly pop his head out of the ground between them. Iris was first he looked at in an attempt to cheer her up, but then he nearly ran when he spotted King behind him. It took a strong amount of Drilbur's own will to listen to Iris' pleas to stay. It was a rocky start when King tried to talk without making the tiny Pokémon pass out in fear. It took quite a while before Drilbur started to see King as another friend.

But it was a start. Better than making no progress at all.

Especially since other Pokémon that were watching in secret saw that King wasn't as evil as they spoke of. One by one, they all started to introduce themselves to King, who returned the favor by personally greeting of them with a kind smile.

Now, it can never be said that Iris didn't help King with his popularity problems.

* * *

A few months later, Sophia had sent a message to King for him and Iris to come back to the village to celebrate Iris' 9th birthday. While Iris had been absolutely ecstatic about returning home for one of the biggest celebrations she's ever been to, King wasn't entirely comfortable walking around the villagers. Especially the ones who were disturbed by him the most.

Although, while it was a good thing most of them didn't hate or fear him like some of the others, King still wouldn't be able to enjoy celebrating Iris' birthday the way he wanted to. He had been forced to keep his English a secret and had to be extra careful not to break anything with his size or accidentally set anything on fire. Any sort of mistake that could ruin the celebration could end up with villagers having a reason to dislike him even more.

That and he didn't want to embarrass Iris on her special day.

So King did what he could. Quietly standing on the sidelines away from flammable objects while the villagers and Elder herself did most of the activities. But that didn't mean King didn't have fun interacting with some wild Pokémon who lived in the village. And surprisingly, he also got the chance to interact with some of the human children as well, who seemed to like him because of his dragon appearance.

Finally, when the party had come to an end and most of the villagers went back home to rest, Sophia had met with Iris and King before the two could fly back home. She had given Iris a gift, the best one the girl could ever ask for.

A Pokémon egg.

Since Iris was nearing the natural age to become a Pokémon trainer, Elder thought it would be best to give Iris some early experience with raising a Pokémon.

And being a Pokémon himself, King had seen enough of Unova to learn what the egg would be after hatching. But he decided to leave the surprise for the birthday girl.

After another round of thanks for the gift, Iris had gone back home with King and her new egg. It took nearly a week for it to hatch, meaning Sophia had been watching over it for a while before giving it to Iris. Nevertheless, Iris was too excited to care, especially once she learned what Pokémon the elder gave her. It was a newborn baby Dragon Type, an Axew. The happy squeals Iris let loose in the cave was enough for King to hear a high pitched ringing for a few seconds, but it was worth seeing his best friend/roommate so excited.

Since there was a new member to join their little family, King realized he had to gather more food and teach Axew how to defend himself like he had to do as a newborn Charmander. Although the training _did_ take a while since Axew was still too young to understand most things, but he eventually picked up on King's teachings and learned how to use his tusks as a weapon for self-defense and battling.

It didn't take too long before King decided that Iris was ready to build up her own team.

And Iris lived up to her promise for creating bonds before catching Pokémon.

The search had begun with one of Iris' forest friends, those she knew the longest. The first Pokémon to join her team was Drilbur. It wasn't a surprise that the ground type was quick to accept Iris' offer to travel with her. Although King did make jokes about Iris using non-Dragon Types to become a Dragon Master. With each joke, she would respond with "Friends are friends, regardless of type."

She was learning to accept every Pokémon for their worth.

And King was proud of that.

It was a spark in the right direction.

* * *

More time had passed since Iris had started her team, a couple of weeks after Drilbur had joined.

Iris, still being young at heart, had complained about all her failed attempts at 'catching' more Pokémon. It was no surprise. Most of her friends had been born and lived long enough in the forest to accept wildlife over the battling kind. Unlike Drilbur, who was one of the very few who actually challenges others in make-shift matches.

The rest being Pokémon who were the typical forest 'bullies', such as Druddigon and the other aggressive fighters.

If it weren't for the fact that King absolutely despised them for being alive, it was still unlikely for them to join Iris on her future journey. Being Pokémon who grew strong on their own, Druddigon and the others would refuse to believe a child would help them excel in battling.

But that didn't matter once Iris accepted that fact. She already knew most of them wouldn't go with her so willingly. But that only meant for a better team. Iris believed that those who join her would form a stronger bond than those who only accept battling more than anything. Loyalty and friendship is what Iris sought, the most important piece to make a strong team. _That's_ what she wanted most.

King was most certainly proud when he heard that.

Proud enough to help start her battle experience.

By battling him.

Iris was very much against the idea the very second the words left King's mouth. Before Iris could go on about something going wrong, King had been quick to remind her of his years of battle experience and extraordinary durability. He'd make sure not to take things too far, that he'd make sure training would be completely safe. But Iris still wasn't up for it. Not until King made a solemn vow not to seriously harm Axew or Drilbur and that each battle would have him mostly blocking attacks.

When Iris finally agreed, King had told her to not worry about hurting him. " **It's best you take this training seriously or you'll never improve.** " He advised her.

For Iris, it was a strange experience that left her confused for the most part. But after receiving tips from King on trusting her partners and what to do in a match, Iris soon learned to battle like an actual trainer.

Drilbur had been the one to improve the most. Mostly because he fought with his sharp claws and was great at evading attacks by digging into the ground. Although, it was also because of Drilbur's digging that King had to make sure they had their matches outside of the cave to avoid risk of some sort of cave-in.

And Axew? He wasn't the best fighter, King wasn't afraid to point it out to them (Gently, mind you), but Axew was getting there. Albeit slowly. Even as a baby, Axew had shown signs of little improvement on how to react on King's slowed movements. It wasn't much, but Axew had potential. Something King saw immediately through his determination.

All the while, while the two have been improving, Iris as well in battle smarts, King had definitely lived up to his promise on keeping them safe in their training. He started off the first few weeks with them in basic close-combat; aka them charging and attacking while he either dodged or blocked. And after the two young ones learned the basics, King decided it was time to work on their reflexes.

Like he said, King had inflicted no damage during mock-battles. He made sure to lower the temperature and output of his flames just in case either of them didn't avoid in time. Especially for Drilbur. Being a Ground Type, he wasn't as resilient against fire as well as Axew was.

* * *

" **Alright, we're done for the day.** " King advised, looking down with an amused smirk and saw Axew punching his gut with his tiny hands. The bigger dragon picked up the smaller dragon in his claws. " **That's enough, champ. You'll leave a mark if you keep that up.** " Axew happily yipped in response, something him and the others learned to be his laughter.

He was a tiny bundle of energy, that's for sure.

"How did I do, King?" Iris asked as she and Drilbur walked up to him.

The ground type had already gotten through his session with King with an earlier match, which tired him out more than anyone expected. But he decided to watch Axew's training instead of resting in a Pokéball. Drilbur, making the smart choice, knew it was important to watch others to help improve his own performance.

" **You did great today.** " King praised with a thumbs up. " **You managed to predict the pattern of my Ember attack and got Axew into a perfect rhythm to avoid each burst without wasting too much energy.** " He pulled the girl into a hug. " **And I must say, you're getting better yourself, ya know.** " He ruffled Iris' hair, who giggled at the gesture. King turned to look at Drilbur and saw that he was awaiting his inspection. " **Don't think I forgot about you, kid. Those claws of yours can pack a punch. I'm lucky my scales are so strong or else I'd have to deal with bandages**."

Leaving Drilbur to gush over the compliment, King used a claw to point back to the mountain. " **Alright, time to get a move on. We need to head back before it gets dark.** "

"If you want us home before nighttime, then how come we have to walk back home? It just wastes more time." Iris whined after she saw the distance between them and the mountain. Even from their location, they could see the cave opening not too far from the mountain peak. It was one thing to enjoy being outside, but it was another thing to walk back after a day of training.

" **Oh stop**." King rolled his eyes while Iris' cheeks puffed out in an adorable pout. " **It's not like you were training like these two.** " He said, gesturing to the two smallest of the group. As if on cue, Axew let out a small yawn while Drilbur just shrugged with tired eyes. King grinned. " **You still need exercise yourself, so I don't want to hear anymore whining. Maybe if you were Pokémon who spent their time battling, we wouldn't be having this talk. Now, let's get going.** "

After calling Drilbur back into his Pokéball and watching Axew climb onto King's shoulders, Iris was left crossing her arms and mumbling to herself as they started their journey back home. She said something along the lines of "I run around with Pokémon every day though…"

Although, her grumpy attitude didn't last long.

By the time they had even reached the base of the mountain, Axew had already fallen asleep and King had been forced to carry him. Then it was Iris' turn when she had started to get sleepy just as the sun began to set.

Not wanting to force her to endure any more traveling, King had scooped her up into his arms and held Axew in his tail before he finished the travel back home via flying up the mountain's side.

It only took a little while before King had set up the cave for bedtime. A small flame to give Iris some more warmth as she slept and a patch of new leafs to make sleeping comfortable. Axew on the other hand didn't need much. With his thick scales, he found sleeping on the ground comfortable enough and he didn't have much need for the fire. But that didn't stop King from caring for them equally.

Just as King laid Axew down on a separate patch of leafs, he went to set Iris down as well, but the girl woke back up just as King gently dropped Axew from his tail.

"King?" Her eyes were unfocused and her words were a little slurred. "Are we back home?"

" **Yeah, we're back. I was just about to put you in bed.** "

"Oh." Since Iris looked like she was trying to stay awake, King slowly set her back on her feet.

Seeing her wobble a little bit and yawn, he placed a hand on her back and arched a scaly brow. " **You still seem tired. Why don't you lay down and head back to sleep?** " He suggested as he gently helped Iris down on her bed.

"No… no not yet…" Iris mumbled. "I need... I want to ask you something King..."

" **What is it kiddo?** "

"… Can I call you dad?"

The question definitely caught the fire/flying type off guard. For a moment, King thought he heard incorrectly and for a split second, the image of him running with the little boy in his first life flashed through his mind. After a few seconds a silence, King looked down to Iris for an answer and after seeing her eyes closed, he thought she fell asleep. But when King went to walk away to lay down, Iris used her hand to lightly tap his leg. She wasn't asleep. Yet. "... C-Can I?" She repeated quietly.

So he did hear her correctly.

King coughed to himself, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable. " **Mind I ask, why?** " This wasn't right. Why would she even ask such a thing? He was a _Pokémon_ , she was a _human_!

"Well," Iris stopped talking for a moment to let out another yawn. Once she found her voice, Iris continued speaking, but looked down to the side with nervous eyes. "you have always been there for me, even more than Elder. And you're always caring for me, Axew and Drilbur too. And, and you used to be a human so that must mean you're an adult too, right?"

'... **_For a sleepy girl, she's more aware than I thought._** ' Still, it wasn't like she wasn't smart to begin with. But to connect his past with their present like that? Perhaps if he told him that she was in fact older than him, she'd reconsider... He shook his head. ' ** _No._** ' King took in a slow breath before laying down next to her, covering her with a wing. He couldn't resist smiling when she snuggled against his wing, like she always did. It still warmed his heart no matter how many times he witnesses it. But still… " ** _Are you sure kid? Won't it be weird to call a Charizard your dad?_** "

"If you don't want me to, I won't…"

" **That's not it. Just tell me, how long have you been thinking about this?** "

"A few weeks after the night you rescued me."

" **Why wait so long to ask me?** "

"I thought you'd mock me if I asked you." She replied meekly.

" **You know I'd never do that.** " King lightly scolded, feeling a bit insulted that she would even consider that a thing. Lowering his head down, King lightly nuzzled her cheek and whispered reassuringly. " **You can tell me anything, you know that.** "

"I know... I'm sorry for not trusting you, King."

" **It's ok**." King sighed. It wasn't really anyone's fault. " **Now I'll ask you again. Do you really consider me as your father?** "

"Yes."

" **Then it's perfectly fine to call me dad.** " King said slowly. Half of his brain told him this wasn't natural and Iris would be ridiculed for it. The other half was filled with the joy of knowing how important he was to Iris, that he should simply allow it. Of course the latter won. " **If it makes you more comfortable, I'm okay with it. That alright with you?** " The second he finished, he found two arms wrapping around his neck and pulling him into a hug.

Iris had pulled him closer with a tired smile and nodded. "Thank you… papa."

' ** _Right off the bat, huh?_** ' King mentally joked as he smiled at the new title and felt his heart swell with a special kind of warmth.

Not too long after, he heard the light snoring and felt Iris' hold begin to loosen. Gently lowering her down so she wouldn't bump her head, King stopped to look at Iris' sleeping face. Chuckling at realizing how tired she must've been to just fall asleep so quickly, King lowered his head to the ground. But he didn't close his eyes, not when his mind was still going over everything that just happened.

Iris sees him as a father.

He was now something more than a roommate, more than a best friend.

He mouthed a silent prayer.

" **Thank you, Arceus... for giving me another chance...** " King's eyes slowly closed as he put his mind to rest.

" **... for blessing me with another child..**."

This was a role he wouldn't take lightly.

* * *

 **Good? Bad? This chapter kind of ended in a pool of feels, but it was the good kind of feels! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll update soon! It won't be too long before the end!**

 **REVIEW OR PRIVATE MESSAGE me any questions regarding the story!**

 **But still, seriously. REVIEW PLEASE!**

 _And remember, if anybody has found or made any type of fanart of King, please don't be afraid to tell me! I'd love to see it! (Mega Charizard X's black/blue colors and body mixed with Y's ragged wings and spiked tail!)_

 **Stay tuned for more!**

 **REVIEW PLEASE!**


	8. Guilty Conscience

**To be honest, I really forgot about updating this story for a while. Luckily I still have all the story typed out and just needed to be edited through and through. Still, sorry for the delay guys! XD I'm here again with another chapter of Promise Me, which I'm sure some of you are happy to read again! Also, since my eyes suck from time to time, don't be afraid to tell me if there are any errors in the story. I like to improve!**

 **Oh and I'm rethinking the battle scenes after the story. I don't think a full battle between King and Lance is all that interesting. Not only that, but King vs Zapdos doesn't sound too appealing. I'll leave it to you guys to vote in the comments if you want to see some matches after the story is done. 15 positive messages about either Lance, Zapdos or Future-Iris, I'll do them. 15 for each though.**

 _(Also, I'd still highly appreciate it if people create fanart of King for me XD Like I said before, just picture Mega Charizard X's body and colors mixed with Y's ragged wings and spiked tail! If someone makes some fanart, I'll link it on my page for everyone to see!)_

 **Now let's get down to it!**

"So, this is it then?" - Human Speech

' _Wow, I expected something... more._ ' - _Human Thoughts_

 **"Ready for the worst mistake of your life?" - Pokémon Speech**

 **' _I'm itching for a fight you little shit!_ ' - Pokémon Thoughts**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Pokémon, except my Mega OC!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Guilty Conscience **

* * *

Once again, King was pulled from his slumber the second his ears picked up the sound of crunching rocks.

He half-expected Sophia to be in front of him. She was literally the only one who would waltz in like this. But then he remembered that it was still nighttime. And there was no way she'd travel alone in the middle of the night, at least not without someone else accompanying her. And by the sounds, it was more of a single creature within his cave.

Growling, he pulled himself from Iris' hold and started to stand up. tail burning hotter.

" **Whoa, whoa! Easy there, hot-head!** " A scratchy voice rushed out. " **It's just me!** "

If he wasn't so disoriented from being asleep a few moments ago, King's alert posture would've slumped into one of minor annoyance.

With a hint of sleepy anger.

King had already acknowledged who the voice belonged to.

Having encountered him plenty of times, it was hard to forget. Especially when he's the only Pokémon who'd dare call him by that nickname instead of Pyro…

Nevertheless, King's red eyes squinted as his vision finally adjusted to the dark, the fire he set up having already went out during their slumber. It only took a few seconds before he could make out the features of his 'guest'.

It was a Pokémon all right, that much could be said from anyone else.

He was a quadrupedal Pokémon, at a height of 2"7", with pitch black fur covering his neck and head; the fur concealing everything from his mouth. There was an 'explosion' of fur that surrounded his neck with six purple spots encircling it, almost resembling bruises if inspected incorrectly. There was a spike atop of his head, made from fur or bone was unknown, but it definitely resembled a horn if anything else. And underneath his fur was dark blue skin.

King would've sighed in exasperation and face-'clawed' if he wasn't still tired from being awoken.

Instead, he opted for a simple growl and narrowed eyes that demanded answers. " **What the hell are you doing here Deino?** "

The Dark/Dragon type fearlessly continued his trek towards the grumpy Fire type. " **Is that any way to greet your best friend?** " Another growl, this time as a more aggressive warning. " **Ok, ok! So for the past few weeks, I've been out traveling to visit a cousin of mine and the second I come back, I hear rumors about 'the Forest Pyro adopting a human child'?** " The smaller Pokémon snickered.

King shuffled enough to give Deino a quick glance of the sleeping Iris beneath his wing, knowing his hair covered eyes were keen enough to see in the dark. " **As you can see, the rumors are true.** "

He stopped and there was a lengthy silent pause from Deino as he stared at Iris, something that gave King a sense of curiosity. The prankster was never quiet, nevertheless easily caught off guard by anything before. He would always play things off with a smile…

It was a few seconds until Deino was brought back to his senses and King saw a grin return on his face. " **It seems they are.** " It looked a bit forced.

However, King wasn't one to take jokes so lightly after recently being woken from his sleep. " **Deino, if you don't tell me why you're in my cave in the middle of the Arceus-damn night,** " The flames flickering between King's fangs picked up heat and flared in tiny bursts. " **I will personally see to it that you return to the forest with less hair and broken legs.** "

" **Always the grumpy one, aren't you?** " Deino teased again, but it sounded a little hesitant. Nervous. Nonetheless, Deino didn't stop walking until he was 2 feet away from King and began to settle down on a patch of soft dirt. The grin dropped. " **Alright, I'll cut to the chase.** "

The way Deino tilted his head gave King the impression that they were staring each other in the eyes.

" **I want to join the kid's team.** "

…

….

…

" **You've got to be kidding me**." King deadpanned. " **If this is another one of your pranks-** "

" **Nope. In fact, I'm quite serious.** " Judging by Deino's voice, King detected no trace of lying. But there was a hint of something else, like there was something more… " **I've always wanted to travel, and you know this because I told you before. And the second I come back, I hear more rumors about the kid building up a Pokémon team, I thought to myself 'This could be a perfect chance to finally see the world'.** "

It was almost unnerving for King to see the grin leave Deino's face.

Never before had he seen such a serious expression on the Dark type's face. It was always a smile, smirk or a grin. He always thought things to be funny, seeing a joke in nearly everything that happens in the forest. And with each time King had encountered Deino in his cave, reluctantly, he always remembered Deino's words to be peppy and humorous whenever he spoke.

But now…?

King shook his head to rid himself of the confused thoughts running around his head. " **Absolutely not.** "

" **What?** " If Deino was surprised, his voice didn't convey it.

" **I said no.** " Finding his anger returning, King's head lifted higher in an attempt to look down at Deino with an intimidating gaze. " **If you think I'm letting you near Iris, you got another thing coming.** "

" **Why the sudden hate? I did nothing wrong-** "

" **Let me stop you right there.** " King quickly interrupted. Jutting out a claw, he poked Deino's snout. " **You _did_ do something wrong, something I find very hard to forgive and forget.** "

Deino's head reeled back in slight discomfort. " **If you're talking about my pranks with the villager's stuff…?** "

" **No, not them. I'm talking about Iris here.** " He lifted his wing and gestured to the sleeping girl before them. " **I'm sure you didn't hear how we met right?** " Deino slowly shook his head. " **Well guess what? I found her beaten and unconscious during that storm a few weeks back, getting attacked by a Serperior. And you know what I heard from Iris when she woke up?** " Deino felt a tiny amount of sweat trickle down his hidden forehead once he found King's red eyes just a few inches away from his. " **I heard that she got lost in the forest, chasing after you.** "

 **"….. Oh boy.** " There was a gulp.

King angrily flashed his teeth. " **'Oh boy'? Is that all you got to say for yourself after ditching a little girl in a forest?** "

Deino was sputtering trying to find the right words before he found himself on the receiving end of King's infamous Flamethrower. Or worse, Dragon Claw… " **Look, that night wasn't exactly… what you heard. I was forced to leave her behind.** "

" **… You have a full minute.** " King said coldly, sensing some form of truth behind Deino's words. " **I'm counting**."

' ** _Thank Arceus._** ' The Dark type mentally sighed in relief. As friendly as he was to King, being the only one to typically annoy him on a day-by-day basis and come out unscathed, he knew just as much as everyone else how dangerous it was to mess with an angry Charizard. Especially when the subject of King's anger was sleeping right next to him.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves and make sure to keep a level head, Deino started his explanation with a tiny cough. " **To start things off, it _is_ true that I led the kid around the forest in a wild-goose chase. But I honestly meant no harm. I was going to let her 'catch' me and escort her back to the village when we were done. But while we were running, we accidentally stumbled into Beartic's territory.** "

" **The one with an apple tree with 3 claw marks on the trunk?** "

Deino nodded.

" **I was so busy letting her chase me around that I didn't notice until it was too late.** " Deino continued with a dejected sigh. " **But you have to believe me when I say I didn't want to leave the kid behind. By the time I noticed where we were, Beartic woke up and immediately attacked me. He thought I was trying to steal his apples again**."

' ** _Of course that stingy asshole would think that._** ' King growled to himself. The minute-long time limit was forgotten at this point. " **What happened next?** "

" **You already know that once Beartic finds anyone who trespasses on his territory, he doesn't stop until he 'teaches them a lesson'.** " Deino's body shuffled in place in a horrified shiver. If King didn't know any better, he would've guessed Deino was reliving a flashback of his own. " **It was Ice-Beam, one after another, and I was forced to run for my life, King. Beartic gave me no chance to help the kid get home.** "

" **Okay, let's say I believe you,** " King started off slowly, not ready to believe everything so easily. " **Why didn't you come find me to ask for help looking for her?** "

" **King,** " The Dark/Dragon type deadpanned. " **Beartic broke one of my _legs_ hunting me down.** " Deino grimly informed, his left hind leg twitching in imaginary pain. " ** _And_ he broke several of my ribs. I couldn't move around even if I wanted to.** " The Dark type sighed and turned his head towards the sleeping Iris. " **Besides, it took me nearly a week to heal up enough to travel. And during that time, I figured the villagers found her before anything bad happened.** "

" **Deino, Iris has been living with me for months.** " King reminded with a flat glare. " **You mean to tell me that you didn't try, at least once, to contact me about Iris being lost?** "

" **I wanted to. I really wanted to, but I was scared.** " Deino made an audible gulp. " **I went to the village first to see if she made it back.** " The Dark/Dragon type dipped his head down and his voice took a quitter turn. " **But when I didn't find her, I thought… you know. And I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd be mad. I thought whatever didn't involve you wouldn't be a problem in the future.** "

King only stared at Deino's lowered head with a silent and inspecting gaze.

It was well past the minute time limit King had promised and so far, King found himself start to believe everything Deino just revealed to him. As much a prankster Deino was known to be, King and everyone else knew that he was no liar when it came to stuff as serious as this.

He may joke about it, but lie he did not.

" **Deino, I'm only going to ask once.** " King finally said, seeing the Dragon type lift his head back up. The bigger Pokémon felt his anger leave his body along with a breath of air. He continued to speak in an even, calm tone of voice. " **Was everything you said true? It would be very, _very_ unlucky for you if I found out all of this was a lie.** "

" **I swear I'm not lying King!** " Deino exclaimed as he frantically jumped on all fours. " **I would never willingly endanger a child like that!** "

" **Shush or you'll wake up Iris.** " King scolded lightly, putting a claw over his muzzle before gesturing a claw for him to lower his voice and sit down. Deino, hesitating, complied to King's demands and slowly sat himself back down, allowing his tense muscles to relax.

King felt movement under his wing and looked down to check up on Iris. The young girl wasn't show signs of waking up. Instead she was trying to find a better position to sleep. And as King looked at her, he couldn't stop the image of a bruised and battered Iris from the night he found her.

Even to this day, King thanked the heavens that he was given a chance to rescue her before Serperior finished her off. He would never forget the way she looked; shaking from the cold, drenched from the rain and twitching in her sleep each time her wounds brushed against a rock or leaf.

He'd never forgive himself if he knew Iris was in danger and failed to rescue her…

King closed his eyes and sighed from his nostrils, unconsciously letting out puffs of smoke. " **Look Deino, as much as I hate to admit it, you're not the type to lie. And there's nothing giving me the idea that this was all a sick joke.** " His red eyes gazed upon Deino once again, but instead of an enraged glare, there was more of an understanding look in them. " **But there's still the fact that you willingly allowed Iris to chase after you in the dead of night in the first place.** "

" **I know** ," Deino sadly mumbled. " **And I regretted it each day. I just…** " He paused to let out an agitated huff of air and stomped a foot in the dirt. " **I just wished Beartic wasn't such a prick and attacked me! I could've saved her if I escaped quick enough!** "

" **… You're a good kid, Deino.** " King said. " **I can tell you've been stressed about this for a long time. That means you felt guilty about your actions. And for that,** " King reached out and laid a hand on Deino's head. He gave the smaller Pokémon a small, warm smile. " **I forgive you.** "

" **What? F-For real?** "

" **Yeah**." King nodded.

Deino felt his legs go numb and he was sure that he'd have fallen if he was standing. His body felt lighter, more relaxed as if a heavy burden had been dropped from his shoulders. " **W-Wow…** " He didn't know what else to say. Now that he got it all off his chest, Deino was sure King would be understanding enough to accept his explanation and even forgive his actions.

But he expected a punishment of some kind to 'correct his mistakes'.

Not flat out forgiveness with no strings attached!

" **Now I need to ask you one more thing Deino. And I want you to really think about your answer.** " King let the Dark/Dragon type recollect himself before he continued. For his next question, he wanted to make sure Deino was in the right state of mind to answer him. Leaning forward and maintaining a level that would assume to be direct eye-contact, King spoke in a clear tone. " **What is your real reason for wanting to join Iris' team.** "

" **I-I wanted to protect her.** " Deino answered slowly, but he sounded sure of himself. King listened closely to his words. " **Day by day, I never stopped worrying about her. Then I hear that she wants to become a Dragon Master… after what I did, I feel like it's my job to help her. It is the only way I can make it up to her.** "

" **Is that the truth?** " Deino nodded. " **Then I'm perfectly fine with you traveling with Iris. But my consent doesn't mean anything if she doesn't agree with me. When Iris wakes up in the morning, I will talk to her about everything that happened here and then I'll leave it up to her to come up with a decision.** "

" **Thank you, King.** " Deino stood back up and bowed his head before the bigger dragon. " **You don't know how much this means to me. As long as she thinks it over, that'll be enough for me. I'll accept whatever choice she makes.** "

" **Good**." King said. He arched a scaly brow when he saw Deino nod once before turning around and start walking away. " **Hey, where do you think you're going?** "

" **Uh, home?** "

" **Not now, you aren't**." King declared, much to Deino's confusion. The Mega Charizard pointed to the spot Deino recently sat upon and grinned. " **You're staying here until Iris wakes up. Now come over here and get comfy.** "

" **Are, are you sure that's a good idea?** " Deino slowly walked back to his spot. " **Won't Iris be mad when she sees me?"**

" **Nope. Never had Iris expressed any hate about you ditching her in the middle of the forest.** " Deino flinched at King's blunt choice of words. " **Although, she might be confused and maybe even a little upset when she wakes up. But I'll handle that when the time comes.** "

" **If you say so…** " Deino took his spot on the ground and found King laying his head back down, letting himself relax once more.

" **If you'll excuse me, I'm going back to sleep.** " King closed his eyes and let out a yawn. " **And I better find you when I wake up.** " He warned with a small puff of fire from his nose.

" **O-Okay…** " When King heard the sound of shuffling, he cracked open an eye to see Deino moving back a few more feet until he was laying down next to the walls. King watched as the smaller Pokémon moved around to find a comfortable position. Then he saw the Deino finally lay down with his back facing him and Iris.

He waited a few moments before he could hear the soft breathing from Deino.

King sighed again and closed his eye. ' ** _He's a good kid, that's for sure. I just hope Iris accepts his apology. She'll need a loyal partner to protect her when she leaves…_** '

Now that King was finally able to return to his sleep, he allowed his mind to go over everything that just happened. And so far, he could honestly see Iris allowing Deino to join her team for the future. But the more he thought about Iris, the more he thought back to their previous discussion.

' ** _… Can I call you dad?_** '

The phrase repeated in his head and made King inwardly groan to himself.

The upcoming morning was bound to be an eventful one, that much could be said. But now King was troubled with two things: convincing Iris to accept Deino's apology and… expecting Iris to start calling him papa from now on.

' ** _Arceus, I'll deal with it when we wake up._** ' King thought to himself, shaking his head. ' ** _I just hope Iris isn't doing something she'll regret._** ' He paused for a moment. ' ** _If I'm lucky, maybe she'll forget this night ever happened and pass it off as a dream…?_** '

King slowly drifted off to sleep.

If only he knew…

* * *

 **How was that guys? So we finally got to see Deino fess up to his crimes, interesting no? Anyway, I'll try to update a little quicker next time so don't worry your little heads XD And remember my note above, about the battles after the story? 15 messages or reviews from people who want to see King vs Lance, Zapdos, or better yet Future-Iris!**

 **I'll leave it there guys!**

 **REVIEW OR PRIVATE MESSAGE me any questions regarding the story!**

 **But still, seriously. REVIEW PLEASE!**

 _And remember, if anybody has found or made any type of fanart of King, please don't be afraid to tell me! I'd love to see it! (Mega Charizard X's black/blue colors and body mixed with Y's ragged wings and spiked tail!)_

 **Stay tuned for more!**

 **REVIEW PLEASE! XD**


	9. Acceptance

**I AM SOOO SORRY! :(**

 **For those who've been waiting for more chapters, I really really _reaaaally_ feel the need to apologize for the long wait! You see, my problems only started because a virus got into my computer. Which ended up deleting practically everything stored on its hard-drives, including ALL of my fanfiction progress in the last few months. Including the edited/typed out full story of Promise Me. I would consider myself lucky that I found another related document on Google Drive, so all I need to do is read over certain chapters, edit some scenes to fit in just fine and BOOM, it'll be back to normal! Hopefully if I get my stuff back, I'll be quicker with the updates. But for now, let's just enjoy this new chapter!**

 **But what happened last time!?**

 **Basically Deino arrived in King's cave asking for forgiveness after being forced to abandon her while escaping an angry Beartic! Not only that, but Deino also pleads to join Iris' team for the future in a way repay her for his mistakes and keep her safe! King accepts Deino's apology and leaves the decision to Iris when she wakes up!**

 **What'll her decision be? Find out! (Chapter will be a bit longer just as a gift for keeping you guys waiting for so long!)**

 _(Also, I'd still highly appreciate it if people create fanart of King for me XD Like I said before, just picture Mega Charizard X's body and colors mixed with Y's ragged wings and spiked tail! If someone makes some fanart, I'll link it on my page for everyone to see!)_

 **Now let's get down to it!**

"So, this is it then?" - Human Speech

' _Wow, I expected something... more._ ' - _Human Thoughts_

 **"Ready for the worst mistake of your life?" - Pokémon Speech**

 **' _I'm itching for a fight you little shit!_ ' - Pokémon Thoughts**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Pokémon, except my Mega OC!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Acceptance**

* * *

… Everything went as perfect as it should. Just like he expected.

From what he could remember, as if he'd ever forget, King was there for all of Iris' trials before her journey finally officially started.

And that included her acceptance of Deino's actions.

When King said everything would work out the way he had hoped, fate didn't disappoint him in the slightest. Although he wouldn't admit just how difficult it was for him to adjust to his new 'title', personally given to him by Iris herself. It took a while for King to get used to it, but it still made him feel awkward at times. It wasn't bad, but it was something special.

After all, it was just one after another in the cave.

On the morning they woke up to find Deino sleeping in their cave, King had been relieved that he didn't have to track the Dark/Dragon type down. But Iris and Axew didn't share the same feelings. In fact, she had a rare case of 'morning grump' that mixed terribly well with her memories of that stormy night.

Let's just say, Iris wasn't exactly nice when she acknowledged Deino's presence in the cave. And Axew's attitude was a lot worse, having heard everything Deino had done to his trainer by Iris herself. But nonetheless, he tried to remain obedient while Deino continued to speak his apology. Keyword being _tried._ As soon as Deino explained why he abandoned Iris, Axew quickly chalked it off as lies and started screaming for the Dark/Dragon type to leave and never come back.

Axew took a lot of scolding from King, eventually leading to King having to forcefully hold the tiny Pokémon back from attacking the Dark type.

But it wasn't like anybody could blame him for being so protective of his technical 'mother'.

Nonetheless, all was said between Deino and Iris, with King being the translator to effectively get the sincere message across. And like King promised, he gave Iris space to come up with a decision. Who gratefully appreciated the chance to think.

After spending time by herself, not even with Axew at her side, Iris had soon come back with a simple expression on her face. She wasn't upset anymore, not after calming herself with slow breaths. Which allowed her to think rationally about her decision. But during those 10 minutes, it felt like hell for Deino. Who, in turn, wanted nothing more than to run and not risk getting told off by an angry little girl, whom he so selfishly allowed her to chase him into a forest. But even so, he willed himself to stay and accept anything coming to him.

Luckily it hadn't come to anything physical.

Instead, Iris simply responded with, "If King says you're telling the truth, then I forgive you." To be honest, Deino almost didn't want that kind of response. Deep down, he expected something harsh. Something he deserved for his mistakes. Not long after, Iris had continued with crossed arms and a stubborn looking frown. _"But_ I'll hold off on adding you to the team. I just need time to fully trust you…"

For what it was worth, it was enough for him.

After bowing his head with a quick thanks and another short apology, Deino had attempted to leave the cave. Only for Iris to, reluctantly on her part, stop him from leaving and offer him a place in the cave with them. As an opportunity to build up their trust; another chance. And while it was awkward for the first few days, it was better that way. It showed King that Iris was mature enough to see past Deino's faults and take time to reach a solid answer.

An answer that could mold her entire destiny.

However, it didn't take long before Iris eventually added Deino to the team. Somewhere around 3 weeks did Iris rethought her answer from before. They had become friends, only from King's constant attempts at putting them in bonding exercises. Meanwhile, Axew had soon grew to like Deino, but Drilbur on the other hand, still had yet to warm up to the Dark/Dragon type Pokémon. Which was solved through one means of bonding: through a Pokémon Battle. Which actually took a total 20 minutes due to type advantages between them, but soon ended up with Drilbur winning.

Only because in the last few minutes, he evolved into Excadrill and literally beat Deino a couple of feet into the ground.

It still took a while for the trust to build up to actually friendship, but the bond was still there.

Other than that, all was well for the small family.

Especially for King.

Back to the morning when Deino apologized, Iris had privately pulled King to a quiet area of the cave so she could talk about the 'papa' topic. It was something King was still a bit hesitant to accept, but he did so nonetheless. Much to Iris' happiness. He had prioritized the way Iris felt before his own pride and he realized the role he now had in her life. His reward? Iris using all of her strength to give him somewhat of a bone-crushing hug.

But the fact was still there.

He was her guardian, the one who could actually protect her, nurture her. He was the being who filled the empty hole in Iris' life as her father figure.

To his Pokémon friends in Kanto, he was King the Forest Champion.

To the forest Pokémon of Unova, he was Pyro the Destroyer.

To Iris… he was Papa.

And he was proud to call himself all three.

* * *

 _ **Time Skip: 7 ½ Months Later…**_

The time had come.

The dreaded deadline King found himself hating more and more each day.

It finally came.

August 30th had come faster than King feared it would. It was Iris' birthday. Normally, he'd have love the day more than any other day of the year. But this wasn't exactly like her other birthdays. No, this was her _10th_ birthday. The day the village Elder, Sophia, would officially announce Iris old enough to become a Pokémon Trainer. But to be honest... King didn't expect his heart to hurt so much. They'd only been together for a little less than 2 years and in that time, he'd grown to love and see Iris as his own daughter. Just as she saw him as her father. In fact, he saw Axew, Drilbur and even _Deino_ as his children alongside her.

But like everything, good things must come to an end.

He knew the day would come that he'd be forced to say goodbye.

After all, he had been using all of their free time training Iris so she could uphold her end of their deal.

He just didn't realize how attached he had gotten to the little girl.

When he – as well as the entire village – watched her leave for her journey, he didn't expect his heart to hurt as much as it did. He thought he'd be ready to see her off. He was proud of the girl he rescued, the same little girl who grew up into the mature trainer she promised to be. For a brief moment, he believed his hug could keep her from leaving.

It only made his turmoil worse.

But King didn't dare let his selfish emotions keep Iris away from her dream.

"I'll see her again," He promised himself. "I'll see her again."

However, to 'see her again' was too long for King to handle. Which influenced his need to give Iris and her team a personal farewell.

Iris had stuck with her first three partners, something King didn't expect.

Deino: Even after all their hard work, the Dark/Dragon type was still the most hyperactive of the group and played off King's departing words with a silly smile, the trademark grin everyone knew him for. It was something King would miss, even if he didn't say it out-loud.

Excadrill: After evolving, King eventually saw him as the big brother in their little family. His personality followed after King's; optimistic, caring, considerate, determined and highly protective. He was the cool-headed fighter in his team. But being the first to evolve, Excadrill believed his role was to protect Iris on their travels, just as much as Deino felt the need to. King would miss the drill Pokémon's battle-ready attitude.

Axew: While he didn't evolve, or even get much battle experience as his teammates, he was still the 'youngest' King saw him as. He was the ball of endless joy, Iris' first partner until the end of time, the son King wanted to protect just as much as he did Iris. He had tried not to cry during their departure, but he failed when King pulled him into a hug. Nobody could blame the baby dragon for getting so emotional.

And Iris… King vowed to never forget her face. He couldn't. He has been there as her guardian-no, as her father ever since that storm. He had given her the biggest hug he'd never give anyone else and in a flash, memories of their time together had flooding his mind.

Rescuing her from Serperior…

Introducing himself and learning about her past…

Flying around with a happy Iris on his back…

Battling with her…

Helping her fall asleep under his wing…

Telling her stories of his past battles…

That day was the first time Iris had seen King cry.

He had always put up a tough, caring front that everyone knew him by. But King wouldn't, or even couldn't, have stopped himself from pulling Iris into a hug and burst into tears. And in the spur of the moment, King hadn't even noticed the sincere expressions from the villagers when they heard his cries. They soon realized just what kind of bond the two had. To see the tears in his eyes fall like a broken dam? To hear that he never wanted her to leave? It was too much for Iris to handle before she too found herself crying alongside him.

"I'll miss you too, Papa…" Her words would be forever etched in his brain for as long as he lived.

He never wanted to let her go.

But he did.

And he watched her go.

Like a proud father would.

* * *

Never before had King resented the silence in his cave.

He had always been the type to enjoy the peace and quiet whenever he got the chance.

However, things had changed and he didn't even notice.

Things like his sleeping patterns being thrown out of wack. King would find himself waking up at night to check if Iris had returned and was fast asleep under his wing. It was habit he'd found it extremely difficult to break from. Even then, if he didn't wake up at night, King would always find himself waking up with a smile and ready for a daily flight alongside his daughter.

Only to remember the heartfelt goodbyes they spoke to each other.

The first few weeks after Iris' departure were spent in mild depression. King couldn't believe that he'd taken after Iris so much. It was enough for him to realize that her presence had become such a big part of his life.

Waking up to see her smile, their daily conversations about other regions, their time with the forest Pokémon; he felt lost without her as his roommate.

Luckily, his time alone in his mountain was enough of a sign to catch Sophia's attention.

Being the parent-figure to everyone, even King himself, Sophia would often travel to his cave to uphold the conversations that King yearned for.

Sophia had become his link to the 'outside world'.

She had become his link to Iris.

His daughter, during her travels, had managed to keep in touch with Sophia with each chance she could. Iris had been making excellent progress, winning badge after badge from every possible gym in the region. However, it took a long time and King started to worry about her well-being.

But Iris made sure to send letters explaining her tales with her team. Meeting new friends, adding more Pokémon to her team, even recorded videos of her gym battles that she sent regularly so he'd see how much she and the rest of them had grown.

Her adventures were shared between King and Sophia, never failing to make the two adults proud of her achievements.

And they never stopped rooting for her.

* * *

 **Okay, once again, I'm SORRY for taking so long to update this thing, but I should be getting back into the groove now! More updates should be coming in faster now that I got a back-up, but hopefully things won't get too jacked up. Anyway, how was the chapter guys? A little bit of a tearjerker for some people who fall too easily to emotion stuff and for others, probably just a good chapter. Still, this was actually a fun chapter to read over and get back into the groove of the story. A chapter where the big, tough King the Mega Charizard realizes how much of a softy he's becoming after taking care of little Iris, breaking down into tears like any caring parent would. I really do hope you guys enjoyed it, but a little heads up! The next chapter is the ending! I still plan on doing the epilogue battle, maybe even more, but that will take a while.**

 **Next update will be next Monday!**

 **I'll leave it there guys!**

 **REVIEW OR PRIVATE MESSAGE me any questions regarding the story!**

 **But still, seriously. REVIEW PLEASE!**

 _And remember, if anybody has found or made any type of fanart of King, please don't be afraid to tell me! I'd love to see it! (Mega Charizard X's black/blue colors and body mixed with Y's ragged wings and spiked tail!)_

 **Stay tuned for more!**

 **REVIEW PLEASE! XD**


	10. Hello Again

**I am back peeps! XD I told you I'd update on Monday and I did, even though it's hard to make a schedule with my shitty computer... Still, here it is, the FINAL CHAPTER OF PROMISE ME! Now since its been so long since I updated the last chapter, I forgot that I was waiting for more reviews or PMs asking me whether people wanted some 'In-Story' battles. And that includes King vs Iris. So yeah, that came back. Remember peeps, 15 reviews/private messages for each battle and I'll do them! ;) Other than that, lets get down to business and enjoy this last chapter, shall we?**

 _(Also, I'd still highly appreciate it if people create fanart of King for me XD Like I said before, just picture Mega Charizard X's body and colors mixed with Y's ragged wings and spiked tail! If someone makes some fanart, I'll link it on my page for everyone to see!)_

 **Now let's get down to it!**

"So, this is it then?" - Human Speech

' _Wow, I expected something... more._ ' - _Human Thoughts_

 **"Ready for the worst mistake of your life?" - Pokémon Speech**

 **' _I'm itching for a fight you little shit!_ ' - Pokémon Thoughts**

 **Disclaimer : I don't own Pokémon, except my Mega OC!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Hello Again**

* * *

A year had finally passed since Iris had left.

But the days hadn't gone as smooth after Iris had gotten her eighth gym badge.

The village Elder had passed away.

At first, King hadn't been told of anything and simply remained in his cave, awaiting her arrival to talk about news regarding Iris' progress.

Until someone new entered his cave.

Drayden, a bearded white haired man. He was a Gym Leader in Opelucid City, a person who learned of King's secret from Sophia herself. The man had told King the news about Sophia's passing just when King was about to fly by the village to check up on her.

Apparently it was age that took her.

Sophia, being one of the oldest people in the Village of Dragons, had been affected by the laws of time. Her body had grown weak to the point where she couldn't travel to King's cave and soon enough, she was left bedridden in a weakened state. And during that time, Sophia had elected Drayden as the new elder before passing in her sleep a few days later.

The conversation with Drayden had left King in a depressed state, along with the remaining villagers.

And it has been said that Iris had been informed as well.

The news urged Iris to return home and the reunion wasn't the one King hoped for.

She took it the hardest, after all.

Due to her long distance, Iris had been unable to come back until weeks after the funeral, leaving her and King to grieve at Sophia's tombstone.

She wasn't able to control the tears that day and King had spent the next few days comforting her in their cave, trying time and time again to calm her down.

Only to fail.

Eventually, Iris came to accept Sophia's passing and continued to stay with King for a while as a way to cope. But that didn't bring the cheery mood back to what it was before. The days were still spent grieving. Some spent talking about Iris' travels. Some used to battle out some stress.

And then came the day Iris had cheered up enough to resume her journey.

She told King that she had her final gym badge and was able to challenge the Pokémon League at any time.

That was something King used to send encouraging letters whenever he got the chance.

And with Drayden's help, that chance was very frequent.

King felt it as his duty as a father to maintain a healthy connection with his daughter, making sure her travels were safe and to help her whenever she needed advice. He had to.

He was the only one left.

If not him, who else would give her the drive to push forward?

* * *

King had been given enough time to himself. Enough time to return to his former self, the old King who grew to accept solitude as a normal thing.

It's been years, six to be exact, since the last time he saw Iris.

Although the reunion wasn't as happy as he'd hoped, it wasn't too bad either.

Iris had finally returned home after challenging the Pokémon League.

After grieving over Sophia's death and resuming her travels, Iris had spent another 3 months training her team for the upcoming League. She needed time to build stronger bonds, to sharpen up skills that could be considered weak-points, to gain more experience as a trainer herself before the real challenge was presented in front of her.

However, things didn't go exactly as plan.

Iris had indeed won the tournament part of the league, giving her a chance to battle the Elite Four before challenging the champion Alder.

But she failed to beat the third challenger out of the Elite Four.

Her first match was against Grimsley, the Dark Type Elite Four member. It ended with her as the victor. Next came the second challenger, a long-haired brunette by the name of Caitlin, the Psychic Type trainer. It was her match that nearly ended in defeat if it weren't for Iris' fully evolved Hydreigon. But then her luck ran out when she encountered the Fighting Type trainer, Marshal.

It was his strictly trained Pokémon that ended Iris' victory streak before even facing Shauntal, the Ghost Type trainer.

That was her first attempt at Unova's League.

But she didn't give up.

Knowing she was still too young to actually match against all Elite Four members and Alder himself, Iris came to the decision of traveling to other regions. It was her new plan to improve her skills. By challenging all Gym Leaders and winning minor tournaments, Iris had trained her team to the limit.

King was more than happy to back up her decision, knowing that she needed more experience to grow.

With Drayden's help, he hadn't been left out of the loop of Iris' travels. Although communication was strained from the distance.

Regardless, it felt like King had never left Iris' side.

* * *

 _ ***Crunch, crunch, crunch…***_

King's eyes fluttered open from the sound. He lifted his head and squinted his eyes against the bright light known as the sun. " **Drayden... Drayden, is that you?** " The Mega Charizard called out tiredly, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

The silhouette against the light wasn't of the same figure as the Drayden he knew.

In fact, neither were the other three large silhouettes behind the first one.

His tired brain finally registering the intrusion of 4 unknown guests, King had quickly pushed himself to his feet and felt the flame on his tail burn hotter. His eyes still haven't adjusted to the light, but King made out the shape of an arm pointing towards him.

Before he could react, he heard a shout of "Dragon Pulse, GO!"

One of the silhouettes behind the smallest figure stepped forward and King spotted a set of jaws open up. Growing between rows of razor sharp teeth was a glowing ball of purple, blue, white and even red energy.

Panic flooding his body, King's tail flame flared as did the fire in his mouth. " **Flamethrower!** " He roared out a thick pillar of blue fire just as the glowing ball of energy from the silhouette shot out like a beam.

It didn't take long before the two attacks collided, creating a shockwave that created cracks along the walls and even a crater underneath the meeting point.

As the two attacks pushed against each other for dominance, King's red eyes narrowed before he pushed enough fire out to cancel both of them without an accidental cave in. However, there was smoke building up between the two parties and clouded King's vision.

That only raised the caution levels.

" **Whoever you are, you better have a good excuse for waking me up!** " King snarled out in English, having cared little about his secret in situations such as these. " **Or I swear I'll-** "

"Hyper Voice!" This time it was a different shadow he spotted through the smoke, one that looked to be flying. And King dreaded the upcoming attack just as he saw a burst of condensed soundwaves shoot through the smoke. There was no way to dodge, being stuck in such a confined space, so King's only option was to endure the attack.

With great frustration.

The second the ear-splitting volumes hit him, King screamed out in pain and tried to cover his own ears in an attempt to block out the noise. It was a futile attempt.

"Now while he's distracted!" The voice called out again, the soundwaves having stopped and leaving King feeling dizzy with a throbbing headache. "Metal Claw!"

With a single crack-opened eye, King spotted a small shadow fly at him with a set of shiny silver claws.

Forcing himself to endure his new migraine, King's right hand was quickly enveloped in green energy known as Dragon Claw. And he didn't any time blocking the attack, just in time to see a single claw stop an inch from chest. With a grunt, King started to push back against his opponent and bared his fangs. " **You picked the wrong Pokémon to mess with-** " King's words stopped the second he took in his attacker's appearance.

It was a grinning Excadrill.

" **What?** "

" **Hey pops**." Excadrill snickered, pulling his hands away and deactivating Metal Claw. " **Long time no see, eh?** "

King blinked in confusion before he heard footsteps. Looking up, he noticed that the smoke had finally cleared out of the cave and allowed him to see the rest of his 'intruders'.

The biggest silhouette he saw before was a Haxorus. The horned dinosaur like Pokémon gave King a toothy grin as he waved a tail at him. Behind him was the second shadow, which was soon revealed to be a Hydreigon. And all three of his mouths were smiling at him.

And finally came the revealing of the trainer. Who King saw was a dark skinned female with large puffy pink hair tied up behind a tiara and a large pink dress.

King's Dragon Claws slowly dissolved from his hands as he looked at the female before him, taking notice of the sly smirk on her face. He wanted to speak, and honestly he tried, but he found it hard to form the right words.

As if sensing his inability to enact a basic form of speech, the female took the initiative and rushed towards him.

King felt two arms wrap around his frame and looked down, finding the hair blocking more of his view than he expected. He didn't even notice the amused faces of the three other Pokémon. He was so preoccupied with the woman hugging him that his mind would've shut down if it weren't for her backing away and looking him right in the eyes.

Gone was the sly smirk and was replaced with a genuine smile, with a quivering bottom lip. "Hey Papa." The female said with a slight hitch in her voice. "I'm home."

" **Iris…?** " The Mega Charizard whispered, taking a step forward. She nodded. King could only stare in astonishment, looking over his daughter's new feathers. " **It's been so long… I-I mean look at you.** " He felt his lips curl up into a smile. " **You've gotten so big!** " He had noticed her height when their hug nearly involved him with a mouthful of hair.

"I have." Iris giggled with an embarrassed blush, watching King give her new appearance a quick look-over.

Finally, Iris found herself engulfed in a hug courtesy of King himself. She laughed into his chest as the large dragon danced around in a circle, shooting praise after praise about how ' **My little girl grew into a beautiful young woman** '. It was such a comical show that it had Haxorus, Hydreigon and Excadrill laughing on the sidelines.

"Okay, okay, put me down!" Iris laughed out. "You'll break me in half if you keep this up!"

" **Sorry,** " King quickly dropped Iris back to her feet. " **But it's been six years since I last seen you! You've changed!** "

"I didn't change that much, papa…" Iris retorted sheepishly, trying to wave his praise away with her hand. Then Iris jutted a thumb behind her and King looked back to the rest of them. "But I can't say the same for my teammates over here."

King wasted no time walking forward and personally giving each of them a hug. " **Sweet Arceus, look at you guys!** " He went from Excadrill to Hydreigon to Haxorus, who King actually had to look up to in terms of height. " **Especially you! Are you really the same baby Axew I knew?** " King teased. If it weren't for his scales, Haxorus would've been like Iris and blushed from King's teasing praises.

After giving out hugs to his children, King paused for a moment before looking at Iris with wide eyes. " **Wait a minute. If you're back, then that must mean…** "

"Yup. Papa, you're looking at the new Champion of Unova." Iris proudly declared with a puffed out chest. She pointed to the tiara atop of her head and King found himself staring in childlike excitement.

So the talk of the new champion being his daughter weren't just rumors after all.

That meant today was a day –

" **You remembered your promise…** " King whispered.

Iris nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Of course I did. What kind of daughter would forget her dad's one and only promise?"

King turned to his three sons with an arched scaly brow. " **That means you three are stronger than you look.** "

" **Got that right, Pops.** " Excadrill snorted, sharpening his claws against each other.

" **Yeah, we've all trained really hard. I think we're ready, Dad.** " Haxorus added with a nod.

" **If you think we're bluffing, just remember who gave you a run for your money just a few minutes ago.** " Hydreigon reminded with snickers from each mouth, much to King's dismay. The Fire/Flying type still had a minor headache. He'd have to return the favor later…

" **Looks like I need to teach you guys some manners on treating your elders with some respect.** " King couldn't stop the smirk on his face even if he tried. This was a fight he's been looking forward to for years, a challenge to finally test his strength against all of his daughter's progress. His tail flared in excitement and slowly moved to the sides, his wings opening and closing in a form of stretches. The dark colored dragon looked at each of his children in the eyes. " **You guys ready for a 9-year long beat-down?** "

"As if!" Iris scoffed a challenging set of eyes, a hand slowly going to a concealed belt of Pokéballs. "We've prepared ourselves for years and beat Gym Leaders all over the world, the Elite Four and finally Alder himself! You won't be so cocky when I beat you, Papa!"

" **Follow me to the top of the mountain. That's where the fun will start.** " King suggested, taking Iris' challenge to heart. He pointed a claw to the cave entrance and blew out a small puff of fire into the air. " **Then we can finally see if you held up your part of our deal.** "

"Alright." Iris agreed and began to strut past King with her chin held high, all three of her Pokémon following soon after. "But don't start crying when I win!" She turned around to give a teasing wink.

King chuckled to himself before he followed after his daughter. " **You better win.** " He said to himself, too quiet for the others to hear. " **After all…** "

" **You promised me**."

* * *

 **CHEESY ENDING I KNOW! XD**

 **But how was it guys!? Was it a bit rushed or was it just right? I tried to edit this as much as I could to make it seem better, but reviews would be appreciated. Other than that, I guess this sums up the end of Promise Me. It's been a fun journey making this short story, even though there wasn't much action... still, I am deeply grateful that people chose to read this story nonetheless. So... I THANK YOU!**

 **But remember, if you guys still want to see more 'In-Story' battles, you have to leave Reviews/Private Messages asking for specific battles. 15 R/PM for King vs. Iris, 15 R/PMs for King vs. Zapdos, 15 R/PMs for King vs Lance, etc.**

 **So I'll leave it here, guys. PEACE!**

 _And remember, if anybody has found or made any type of fanart of King, please don't be afraid to tell me! I'd love to see it! (Mega Charizard X's black/blue colors and body mixed with Y's ragged wings and spiked tail!)_


End file.
